Lovers and Fighters
by moviefan-92
Summary: After escaping from Naraku, Kohaku and Kagura join Sesshomaru's group. Romance blooms among the group. But Naraku isn't planning on allowing them to escape, and his newest incarnation is going to do the job. S/K and R/K. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: The Escape

**(A/N: Hello everybody. Got anther story for you all. But before we get into that, I just want you all to know that this story has no connection whatsoever to my other Inuyasha stories. Anyway, this story is a Rin/Kohaku and Sesshomaru/Kagura pairing. I always loved those couples; they're my favorites, along with Shippo/Souten. But I couldn't decide whether to label this story as Rin/Kohaku or Sesshomaru/Kagura, since all four of them are equally involved. For now, I decided to go for Rin/Kohaku, though that may change later. Ah, I'm rambling now. Hope you all enjoy the story.)**

**Speaking- **"…"

**Thinking- **_'…'_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**"****LOVERS AND FIGHTERS****"**

**Chapter 1: The Escape**

They were on the run. The opportunity had presented itself and they took it. High in the air flew the wind-demon known as Kagura, sitting on her giant feather. Next to her sat the young demon slayer, Kohaku. And in his arms was the third member of their party. This person in particular was the reason why they were on the run.

Kohaku looked at the bundle in his arms with great disgust. The cold eyes of the demon infant, Akago, looked back. Kohaku quickly looked away from the demon's gaze, less he be drawn in by the creature's dark powers. He couldn't afford any mistakes now.

This demon baby was not a regular demon. He was the heart of the most evil and most powerful half-demon to ever exist, Naraku. After a countless number of demons had fused together with the bandit, Onigumo, resulting in Naraku's birth, he had dispelled his human heart, seeing it as a weakness. Thus Akago was born, along with his twin, the evil Hakudōshi. These two demons were the reason for Naraku's so-called immortality.

Many people, human and demon alike, wanted Naraku dead for the acts of evil he had committed. Kohaku was one of them. After Naraku had forced him to kill his family, he had erased the young demon slayer's memories and made him do his bidding. But unbeknownst to Naraku, Kohaku had regained his memories and planned to kill the half-demon. The problem was that as long as Hakudōshi lived, so would Naraku, and as long as Akago lived, so would Hakudōshi. Kohaku had found this out while trying to find a way to kill Naraku. He just had to find and kill Akago then Hakudōshi, and Naraku would become mortal again. And with the help of Kagura, he had finally gotten his hands on the demon that held a majority of Naraku's heart.

Kohaku glanced at Kagura. She wanted Naraku dead from the moment Naraku had created her. Yes, Naraku was Kagura's father. Not a normal father though. Naraku created his body out of the bodies of other demons. After absorbing the demons, he used any parts that were not needed and created incarnations. Kagura was one of them. But unlike Naraku's other 'children', she did not want to serve him. She was a wind-demon, and her kind desired freedom; to be as free as the wind. But Naraku had taken precautions with her. He literally held her heart in his hand, just as Kohaku held half of Naraku's in his arms. If Kagura dared to disobey her 'master', he would crush her heart in his hands, killing her.

Kohaku was in a similar situation. He had been killed awhile back, or suffered damage that _would_ kill him. At his moment of death, Naraku had embedded a shard of the sacred Shikon Jewel into his back. It was this and this alone that kept Kohaku alive. Should the jewel be removed, he would die. That was why he and Kagura had to be careful; Naraku could kill them at any moment.

Then they had found Akago. Awhile back, Hakudōshi had used the life force of the recently deceased to animate the flesh of certain demons to create the perfect demon, Mōryōmaru. He was to be the host for Akago. Only Kanna, Naraku's most loyal incarnation, knew of this. But Kohaku had discovered it. However, he was unable to get to Akago, which was why he enlisted Kagura for help.

For some time now, the two had formed an alliance, which developed into a very close friendship, nearly to the point of a brother and sister relationship. They both kept each other's secrets and plotted to destroy Naraku together. So when Kohaku found Naraku's heart, he quickly reported it to Kagura. And in the dead of night, they had cut Akago right out of Mōryōmaru's back. At first they tried to kill the infant, but all attempts failed.

So they fled. Kagura was convinced that there was only one person capable of destroying Naraku and helping the two of them. She was talking, of course, about the Lord of the Western Lands, Inuyasha's half-brother, Sesshomaru. They were searching for him for two reasons. The first being that, as Kagura said, she believed that only he was strong enough to defeat Naraku, and also because he would be the only one who could save her. For once Naraku found out about her betrayal, he would surely crush her heart. But Sesshomaru had Tenseiga, the Healing Sword. Once Naraku killed her, her soul would make its journey to the border of the spirit world. If Sesshomaru used Tenseiga on her before her soul reached the afterlife, he could revive her.

The only problem with this plan was that Sesshomaru was a cold-hearted individual who didn't seem to care for anyone except for the young human girl, Rin. He would have no reason to bring Kagura back to life. The good news was that he too wanted Naraku dead. And if they could convince him to save Kagura in exchange for information on how to kill Naraku, he might help them.

But time was of the essence. How long until Naraku found out about their betrayal? How long before he killed Kagura? How long before her soul reached the afterlife and could no longer be summoned back to the land of the living? Too many questions, not enough time.

"He's close." Said Kagura, her extra sensitive demon nose picking up the scent of the dog-demon they were searching for.

"Good." Kohaku replied. "We might just be able to pull this off."

Kagura nodded. "Yes, I just hope that-"

What ever she hoped for, Kohaku never found out, because she suddenly gasped in pain, clutching her chest.

"Kagura! What's wrong?" the demon slayer cried.

"My heart." Kagura gasped. "Naraku… he knows…"

Her eyes rolled up as the feather she and Kohaku were riding on shrank back to its normal size and all three of them fell from the sky; Akago with an evil grin on his face.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Sesshomaru had picked up Kagura's scent long before she had picked up his. Being a dog-demon made his sense of smell even stronger than a regular demon's. He knew Kagura was coming, and he knew that Kohaku was with her. What confused him though was the third person traveling with them. Like all of Naraku's incarnations, the third member's scent was similar to Naraku's, letting the Lord of the Western Lands know that this was one of Naraku's children. But why were they coming to him?

"Lord Sesshomaru, look there!" cried Rin, pointing up into the sky.

Sesshomaru looked where the girl was pointing, confirming his suspicions.

"It's that annoying woman again." the toad-demon known as Jaken snapped. "What does she want?"

"Be nice, Master Jaken." Said Rin. Her smile became a frown as she realized something was wrong. "Oh no, Lord Sesshomaru, something is happening."

Yes, he knew something was wrong, even before Kagura's feather began to waver. He had smelled the anxiety she and the boy were giving off. He wondered what the problem was. And when they fell from the sky, he became concerned, though he didn't show it in the least.

"They fell!" Rin cried. "Hurry, Lord Sesshomaru, we have to help them!"

"Rin!" Jaken scolded, as the girl took off in the direction the others had fallen in. "Get back here this instant!"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru growled, "let her do what she wants." Then he too went in the direction he had seen them fall in.

Rin reached them first. Kagura was lying motionless on the ground while Kohaku was a few feet away from her, unconscious or worse. It was to him that Rin ran to. She didn't even notice the infant in his arms as she shook him awake.

"Oh no, Kohaku, wake up!" she cried. "Please wake up! Please!" She turned to the Lord of the Western Lands. "Lord Sesshomaru, Kohaku needs help."

"Calm yourself, Rin." He said. "He will be fine. Observe."

Rin looked back at Kohaku and saw him starting to wake up. He opened his eyes and saw the blurry form of Rin.

"Huh? Who's there? Rin?"

The girl nodded happily. "Yes, it is Rin! It is! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Alright?" Kohaku repeated, trying to remember what happened to him. His eyes widened as it all came back to him. "Rin, where's Sesshomaru?"

Rin blinked in confusion, but pointed over to the demon lord. "Right over there."

Ignoring the pain, Kohaku sat up. "Lord Sesshomaru, please, help Kagura. Naraku killed her, but you can still save her."

Sesshomaru looked over at Kagura, his expression emotionless. Jaken was another story. "Ha, why should Lord Sesshomaru save that pathetic wench? She's just a nuisance."

Sesshomaru ignored his servant and walked over to Kagura, staring down at her still form as Kohaku continued to plead with him.

"Please, help her. She betrayed Naraku, so he crushed her heart."

'_Crushed her heart?'_ Sesshomaru thought. _'What does he mean? What has that half-demon done to her?'_

"And she knows how to kill Naraku!" Kohaku continued. "She can tell you the key to his mortality.

"Can she?" said Sesshomaru, unsheathing Tenseiga. "Then lets see what she has to say."

As he held the Healing Sword, the demons of the underworld suddenly appeared to him. He swung his sword, sending the demons from whence they came, and waited. A few seconds passed, during which no one spoke, and Kagura took a breath. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she stared into the handsome face of the Lord of the Western Lands.

"S-Sessho-maru…" she muttered. _'I've either died and gone to Heaven, or I'm alive.'_

It was then that she felt the steady beat in her chest. With what little strength she had, she placed her hand over her chest, feeling her heart beating within it.

'_I have my heart.'_ Was her final thought before she fell into unconsciousness.

**(A/N: First chapter done. I know the first half was pretty much a recap on the series, but I felt it was necessary. There will be a lot more chapters, and they'll be longer than this one. So tell me what you think.)**

_**Preview of next chapter****:**__** Kagura and Kohaku tell Sesshomaru about Akago and why Kagura was forced to obey Naraku.**_


	2. Chapter 2: Naraku's Heart

**(A/N: The next chapter is here. Sesshomaru is finally going to get some questions about Naraku answered. And he and Kagura also have a nice little chat. Hope you like it.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 2: Naraku's Heart**

Kohaku's body hurt. But that was to be expected after falling 20 something feet. As his mind slowly awoke from sleep, he became aware of a few things. The first was that he was sitting on the ground, leaning against something hard that felt like a tree. The second was that there was a light pressure on his chest. Opening his eyes, he saw that the light pressure was Rin's arm. She had snuggled up beside him after he had passed out, shortly after Kagura had, and fallen asleep with her arms wrapped around him.

Kohaku blushed as Rin moved closer to his warm body. This was embarrassing. Why was she with him of all people? Wouldn't she sleep by Sesshomaru or Ah-Un?

Looking around, he spotted Kagura nearby, covered by the large furry sash that Sesshomaru wore over his shoulder. At first Kohaku feared the worst, but he relaxed as her saw the steady rise and fall of her chest.

'_She lived. Thank goodness. I don't know what I would have done if she died.'_

Kagura had become like a sister to him, though his real sister, Sango, would probably be hesitant to accept that. But it was true. Even Kagura would call Kohaku 'little brother' on a few occasions.

'_I guess that's what happens to two people who risk their lives for each other. Especially with someone like Naraku…'_

Fear gripped Kohaku as he realized something very important. Where was Akago? The last time he had seen that demon baby had been just before he passed out. But where is it now?

"Kohaku, you're awake!" Kohaku looked down and saw that Rin had woken up. "Rin is so happy that you're ok." She said cheerfully.

Unfortunately, there was no time for pleasantries. "Rin, where is Akago?"

Rin's smiling face became a confused one. "Akago? Who's that?"

"The demon baby I had." Said Kohaku impatiently.

Rin smiled. "Oh, Master Jaken has him. Rin wanted to play with him, but Lord Sesshomaru told Rin not to go near him. Is he Lady Kagura's son?"

Kohaku sighed, glad that the evil creature hadn't gotten away. Sesshomaru must have known that Akago was one of Naraku's incarnations. It was very wise not to let Rin near him. Akago had a way of getting a hold of people's minds. The thought of that vile creature doing anything to Rin infuriated Kohaku.

"No, Rin. That infant is very bad, and very dangerous." He said.

"I thought as much." Came a voice from behind him. Lord Sesshomaru was there and had been for who knows how long. "That infant smells of Naraku. It is one of his incarnations, is it not?"

Kohaku nodded. "Yeah, and a very dangerous one too. Oh, by the way, thank you for your hospitality, Lord Sesshomaru."

Jaken chose that moment to arrive, carrying Akago. "Lord Sesshomaru didn't do it for you or that wench. He did it so he could find out Naraku's weakness."

Kohaku immediately began to worry as Jaken approached, carrying that 'thing'. "Rin, stay back." He warned, gently pushing her away.

"What's wrong, Kohaku?" asked Rin.

"Nothing, Rin." He held out his arms to Jaken. "Give him to me."

Jaken was more than happy to oblige, quickly handing Akago over. "Please, take it. There is something very wrong with that thing."

Kohaku took him, being careful not to look into Akago's eyes. Sesshomaru showed the smallest bit of curiosity. "Why did you come here? And why did you bring that creature?" he asked.

"Yeah, you said that you knew how to kill Naraku!" Jaken cried. "If you were lying, boy, I'll kill you myself!"

Rin giggled. "Oh, Master Jaken, stop being so mean."

Kohaku gave her an appreciative smile. "I didn't lie. We did find out Naraku the key to immortality. But you'll have to ask Kagura when she wakes up." He didn't want to let Sesshomaru know that he also knew why Naraku seemed to be indestructible, or else the dog-demon may feel like he resurrected Kagura for nothing if he could have found out just as easily from Kohaku. And he didn't want to get on Sesshomaru's bad side.

"Shall I awaken her?" asked Jaken.

Sesshomaru looked at Kagura. "No, let her sleep. We will wait."

Rin looked happy about that. "Will Kohaku play with Rin?" she asked hopefully.

Kohaku gave her a sad smile. "Sorry, Rin. I would like to, but I can't right now. I have to watch Akago. I promise to play with you later though."

Rin seemed disappointed at first, but then she smiled. "Ok, Rin will wait."

Kohaku made sure to keep his distance from everyone, Rin especially, as he kept careful watch over Akago. He didn't want this evil creature anywhere near her. Akago may not be able to do much on his own, but he acted through others, which made him very dangerous. He wanted to get rid of this evil infant as soon as possible.

He glanced over at the still sleeping Kagura. Sesshomaru stood over her, watching her almost protectively, or so it seemed. This confused Kohaku. He had thought that the Lord of the Western Lands cared about no one and nothing, except for Rin.

Almost as if he felt himself being watched, Sesshomaru looked at Kohaku. The demon slayer quickly looked away, feeling very uncomfortable under the demon lord's gaze. The two weren't exactly on friendly terms. Kohaku had attacked him and attempted to kill his ward in the past. True, he had been under Naraku's control at the time, but that didn't seem to matter to Sesshomaru. The only reason the dog-demon hadn't killed him back then was because he knew that he would be doing just what Naraku wanted.

"You, boy." Sesshomaru growled, causing Kohaku to wince from the demon lord's harsh tone. "Your name is Kohaku, is it not?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Well, Kohaku, you should know that Kagura is beginning to wake."

Kohaku raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

"By her scent." Was the dog-demon's answer.

He was right too. Kagura began to stir, her red eyes flickering open. She was momentarily worried when she didn't recognize her surroundings, but once she saw Kohaku and Sesshomaru, last night's events came back to her and she relaxed. It was then that she felt the beautiful sensation of her heart beating in her chest. When Sesshomaru had brought her back to life, her heart had regenerated inside her. She was finally free from Naraku's control. It was a glorious thing for her. While most people don't even notice their heart pounding in their chest, Kagura, having never felt it before, save for the short time Naraku had faked his death to draw out Kaguya, found each beat as something precious.

"Kagura!" cried Kohaku, hugging the wind-demon. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Kagura was surprised by the hug, but returned it all the same. "I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me."

Rin chose that moment to arrive. "Oh, Lady Kagura, you're awake! Rin is glad you're alright."

Kagura was once again surprised by the concern everyone was showing her, but she gave the girl a smile. "Thank you."

When Kohaku released her, she noticed that he still held Akago. Kohaku realized what the wind-demon was looking at and they both silently came to the same conclusion: business first, pleasantries second.

"I'll take him now." Said Kagura, accepting the demon child.

Kohaku turned to Rin, wanting to get her as far away as possible from what was about to happen. "Hey Rin, I'll play with you now."

Rin's face lit up. "Lord Sesshomaru, can Rin and Kohaku go play?" she asked hopefully.

Sesshomaru didn't show it, but inside his mind was buzzing. He didn't trust the demon slayer, especially with his ward. The boy was Naraku's pawn. He had reason not to trust him. But he did trust Kagura, even though she was one of Naraku's minions too.

"Very well." He said. "But take Jaken with you."

"What?" Jaken cried, terrorized at the thought of having to baby-sit _two_ brats. "B-B-But, milord!"

"This Sesshomaru will not repeat himself."

Jaken sighed and followed after the two children. Sesshomaru waited until they were out of hearing range before turning back to Kagura and Akago. "I am assuming that this child is of importance to Naraku." His assumption was proven right when Kagura nodded. "Care to enlighten me?"

Kagura sighed. "I suppose it will be best to start at the beginning." She said. "Naraku may be a half-demon, but he was not conceived by a human and a demon like your brother was. Over fifty years ago, there was a bandit named Onigumo. He suffered from multiple burns and was completely paralyzed. He was taken care of by the priestess Kikyou."

Sesshomaru recognized the name. "Inuyasha's former lover?"

Kagura nodded. "Yes, her. After awhile, Onigumo began to desire her until he became completely obsessed with her. He summoned countless demons and agreed to give them his soul in exchange for mobility. Things didn't go as he planned though. All the demons and Onigumo merged together and Naraku was born."

Sesshomaru nodded. So a bunch of demons and a human merged together, resulting in Naraku's birth. He understood that. But it didn't answer his question. "That does not tell me the importance of this child."

"Akago is no child." Kagura snapped. "And I was getting to that." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Though Naraku was not Onigumo, he still inherited the bandit's desire for Kikyou. He saw his desires as a weakness, which drove him to develop a deep hatred for her. But the part of him that was Onigumo prevented him from harming her."

"He managed to do it before." Sesshomaru pointed out, referring to how Naraku had killed Kikyou, making her and Inuyasha think that they betrayed each other.

Kagura shrugged. "Yeah well, at the time Kikyou and Inuyasha were about to end up together. I suppose the part of him that was Onigumo was jealous, allowing Naraku to lash out. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to do it again. So he decided to expel his heart, the part of him that was Onigumo. His heart became an incarnation."

She looked down at Akago and Sesshomaru figured the rest out. "That infant contains Naraku's heart?"

Kagura nodded. "Most of it. His twin, Hakudōshi, contains the rest. A while back, Akago was split in half. He regenerated the damage, but the other half became a whole other being. As long as Akago and Hakudōshi live, Naraku can't be killed. And as long as Akago lives, Hakudōshi can't be killed."

Finally things were beginning to make sense. Sesshomaru looked at Akago in disgust. _'So this infant hold Naraku's heart. How did Naraku manage to do such a thing? It's disgusting! It's an abomination, a blasphemy, not to mention very foolish.'_

"After Kohaku and I discovered Akago, we fled." Said Kagura. "We came to find you in hopes that you could assist us."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "For what reason did you decide this? Why did you search out this Sesshomaru?"

Kagura gave a snort of laughter. "For two reasons. The first being that only you can defeat Naraku, and the seconds being that Naraku would kill us for our betrayal."

"And he managed to kill you." said Sesshomaru. "How did he accomplish this?"

Kagura looked away. "Naraku could kill us any time he wanted. You see, Kohaku was killed awhile back, but Naraku used a shard of the Shikon Jewel to bring him back to life, almost like you do with Tenseiga. But should the shard be removed, he will die."

She sighed, not wanting to relinquish this next bit of information. "For me it was even worse. You know that I've always come to you asking you to kill Naraku, but I never told you why. You've insulted me and called me weak and cowardly for not facing Naraku myself, but you don't know why I can't face him." She glared at the demon lord. "Naraku is my father. I am one of his incarnations. When he created me, he extracted my heart. Before you resurrected me, he literally held it in his hands and could kill me at any moment."

Sesshomaru's emotionless mask broke as a look of pure surprise and horror crossed over his face. Naraku had been holding her heart, forcing her to do his bidding. The thought disgusted and infuriated the demon lord. He became even angrier knowing that Kagura had withheld this information from him. Had he known the truth, he wouldn't have treated her as he had.

"Why did you withhold this information?" he demanded. "You should have explained the situation fully."

Kagura glared at him angrily. "Well I'm sorry, but I didn't want to risk anyone else getting my heart before I did and putting me in the same position I was in with Naraku!"

This only infuriated Sesshomaru even more. "Do you think that this Sesshomaru would do such a thing?" he cried. "Do you believe that this Sesshomaru would do anything so disrespectful?"

Kagura didn't back down from his wrath. "You just don't get it, do you?" she shouted. "When someone holds your heart in their hands, there is nothing you can do! It doesn't matter how strong you are or how weak your opponent is! All they have to do is this," she made a crushing gesture, "and you're dead!"

Sesshomaru was taken aback by her tone. Very, very few people spoke to _him_ like that, and even fewer lived to tell about it. But Kagura did, and he let her, though he didn't know why. He should kill her, but he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

Kagura angrily pushed Akago away from her, towards the demon lord. "There, that's what you're looking for. The first step to killing Naraku. Kill Akago, then you can kill Hakudōshi, and Naraku will be mortal once more. That's all you care about, isn't it?"

She got up and began walking away, not looking back. Sesshomaru glanced down at the infant. He had most of his questions answered, but there was still one more thing he needed to know.

"Why did you not kill him when you first discovered him?" he asked, his voice becoming emotionless again.

Kagura stopped walking. She remained where she was for a moment before whipping out her fan and unleashing a wind attack on Akago. Before the blade of wind struck, a barrier appeared around him. The attack bounced off, slicing several trees in half.

"That's why." She said. "Any attempt to harm him is reflected. Both Kohaku and I tried to kill him, but couldn't. I knew only you were capable of doing it."

Sesshomaru gave Kagura a curious look. She was praising him again. She did that a lot, even though she continued to show him disrespect. It made him curious of her intentions. Rin claimed that it was because Kagura was in love with him, but Jaken was quick to dismiss the idea.

Putting these thoughts aside for now, he unsheathed his other sword, Toukijin. Kagura watched him with interest, all traces of anger gone. Akago looked up at the demon lord with a look that clearly stated that he was looking forward to challenging his power.

"You should be more fearful for your life." Sesshomaru told him.

He swung his sword. Just like with Kagura's attack, his sword bounced off. He stumbled back as the shockwave hit him. It was almost like he had attacked himself. Akago gave him a smug look.

"Impressive." Said Sesshomaru. "But this Sesshomaru will not be defeated by you."

Akago just smirked. "Try me." He said.

**(A/N: Clearly Akago has more power than anyone believed. But how much power is the question. Will Sesshomaru be able to break through Akago's barrier, or will they need to find another way to kill him? Find out next time. Oh, and leave me some reviews.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Akago proves to be much stronger than he appears, providing Sesshomaru with quite the challenge.**_


	3. Chapter 3: A Demon's Power

**(A/N: IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! Hey folks, gotta tell you something important. I know that in the first chapter that I told you that I had trouble deciding if this would be a Rin/Kohaku story or Sesshomaru/Kagura. I know I settled for Rin/Kohaku, but based upon what I'm planning, I think it might be a little bit more of a Sesshomaru/Kagura. So the next time I update, it will be categorized under Sesshomaru/Kagura, **_**NOT**_** Rin/Kohaku. So look for this story there. Ok, with that said, lets get on with the story.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 3: A Demon's Power**

Sesshomaru summoned up his power for another attack. He would not let an incarnation of his enemy get the best of him. And that smug smile and challenging look in Akago's eye was absolutely infuriating. Normally when Sesshomaru killed someone, it didn't mean anything to him either way. But this time he was going to enjoy ending this creature's pathetic life, just as he would with Naraku.

Changing his sword to a stabbing position, he brought it down over the place Akago's own heart was. His blade immediately met with Akago's barrier. The shockwaves were bouncing off the barrier and hitting the demon lord, but he did not let up. In fact, he put more power into his blade.

'_This infant is very powerful.'_ Sesshomaru thought. His eyes turned red as he tapped further into his demonic powers. _'But he will not best this Sesshomaru!'_

As their demonic auras increased, Kagura was forced to take a step back. She was amazed by their power. She knew that they were strong, but _this_ was really intense. The very ground began to shake as the sky darken from the level of power.

The smug look left Akago's face as Sesshomaru's power increased. The ground beneath him cracked as he continued to hold his barrier and Sesshomaru persisted to break through it. The dog-demon was doing a very good job at it too. For a moment, Akago was afraid.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Kohaku, Master Jaken, look at the sky." Said Rin.

The two looked where she was pointing. The sky was darkening, almost as if a terrible storm was settling in. And it was happening right over the place Sesshomaru, Kagura, and Akago were.

"What is that?" cried Jaken. "Such power! There are two of them. One is definitely Lord Sesshomaru's, but what of the other?"

Kohaku's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly who that other power belonged to. _'So, it's begun.'_

"Lets go see." Said Rin.

Before Kohaku or Jaken could stop her, she headed towards the two great powers. But she immediately changed her mind and came running back when lightning flashed.

She hurried over to Kohaku and grabbed his arm tightly. "Kohaku, Rin is scared!" She cried, clinging to his arm.

Kohaku put his other arm around her and held her tight. "Don't worry, Rin, it will all be over soon. I'll take care of you."

Rin didn't open her eyes, but she relaxed a bit. "Thank you."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Lightning began shooting out from the place Toukijin and Akago's barrier touched. Kagura became fearful for her own safety as the two mighty demons continued to overpower the other.

"Kagura, take cover." Sesshomaru ordered.

The wind-demon didn't need to be told twice and quickly hid behind a tree. More lightning, or what appeared to be lightning shot out of the point of contact. Slowly Akago's barrier began to bend inward as Sesshomaru made small progress.

Akago growled, using all his strength to fight back. As he reached his potential, he began to change. His ears became pointy as his teeth and nail grew into fangs and claws. The whites of his eyes turned blood red as his skin turned dark gray, except for a light yellow stripe on each side of his face, similar to Sesshomaru's magenta ones.

The dog-demon himself became frustrated as the dent he made in the barrier began pushing his sword back. The shockwaves of his own power were greatly affecting him. It was almost as if he were attacking himself.

Growling in aggravation, he put more power into his attack. He began to change into his demon form. His face elongated as white fur sprouted all over his body.

Bright light began to emit from the point of contact as the two demons reached their limits. It became so intense that Kagura had to look away. Finally, Sesshomaru let out an angry roar and Toukijin burst through Akago's barrier, passing straight through him and burrowing a good foot in the ground.

Akago's eyes widened as an earsplitting cry erupted from his lips. Sesshomaru and Kagura cringed at the sound and even Kohaku, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un flinched from where they were, having heard the demon's inhuman wail.

There was a flash of light as Akago's eyes rolled up into his head. Veins popped up all over him as he left out one last anguished cry before his body disintegrated.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Far away, at Naraku's fortress, Hakudōshi and Naraku himself clutched their chests painfully as they felt a piece of their heart die.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The sky cleared up and the demonic auras began to fade. Kohaku took that as a sign that the battle was over. But he was not going to risk bringing Rin anywhere near Akago until he was sure that he was dead.

"Rin, stay here with Jaken." He told her. "I'll go see if everything is alright."

"How dare you order me around, human!" Jaken shouted.

Kohaku gave the toad-demon a look that instantly shut him up. "I said, stay here. I'll come get you once I'm sure it's safe. Understand?"

Unaffected by Kohaku's anger, Rin nodded. "Ok, be careful, Kohaku."

He nodded and hurried over to the former battlefield.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Sesshomaru was left panting, completely drained of energy. The only other time that had happened was when his half-breed brother had cut off his arm. That demon, Akago, had truly been a force to be reckoned with.

He looked down at the scorched ground that his sword was buried in. At least it was over now. Akago was dead. Now all he had to do was kill this Hakudōshi and Naraku was as good as dead.

Sheathing his sword, the demon lord looked at Kagura, who was peeking out from behind her hiding place. "You may come out now." He told her.

Kagura left the sanctuary of the tree and went to see what was left of Akago, which was nothing. "My, you sure went all out, didn't you?" She commented.

Sesshomaru growled at her mocking tone, but didn't say anything. He was in no mood to argue with the wind-demon.

"Kagura?" They turned to the speaker to find Kohaku watching them. "What happened? Where's Akago?"

"Dead." Kagura replied simple. She gave Sesshomaru an admiring look. "Thanks to our savior here."

Kohaku sighed, glad to be rid of that terrible burden. "I'll go get the others."

Sesshomaru and Kagura waited while Kohaku went to retrieve Rin and the two demons. When they returned, Rin was looking around fearfully, clinging to Kohaku's arm. Sesshomaru growled at their proximity. He didn't like the boy being so close to his ward.

"Lord Sesshomaru, what happened?" she asked worriedly.

Sesshomaru glanced at the scorched ground where Akago had lain. "All is well, Rin. You have nothing to fear."

Rin looked relieved. Then she started looking around when she noticed someone was missing. "Lord Sesshomaru, where did the baby go?"

Sesshomaru decided to was best not to mention what really happened or let her know what Akago really was. "It's gone." He said simply.

Rin frowned. "Aw, Rin wanted to play with him."

"Foolish girl!" Jaken cried. "Don't you know that that infant was one of Naraku's incar-"

He was cut off by Sesshomaru stepping on him to shut him up. "Rin, we are leaving. Jaken, gather Ah-Un."

Jaken moaned beneath his master's foot. "Yes, milord."

As Sesshomaru began to walk away, Rin ran up to him and tugged on his sleeve. "Lord Sesshomaru, can Kohaku and Lady Kagura come with us?" she asked hopefully.

Kohaku and Kagura were surprised by Rin's request while Jaken looked angry. "Lord Sesshomaru will not be bothered by those two!"

Rin gave the toad-demon a curious look. "But they're not a bother. Rin really likes them."

Jaken's mouth dropped open. "What? Don't you know who they are? Don't you remember what they did? Did you forget that the human tried to kill you and the wind witch kidnapped you and turned you over to Naraku?"

Rin just laughed. "Silly Master Jaken, they wouldn't hurt Rin. Naraku was controlling them. They would never do anything bad, right?"

Kohaku was quick to answer. "I would never harm you, Rin, or anyone else. Naraku was controlling my mind back then."

Kagura nodded. "I too was at his mercy. I took no pleasure in the things that I did."

Rin gave Jaken a proud look. "See, Master Jaken, they're not bad guys. They're our friends."

"Friends!" Jaken cried. "Now you listen here, girl, we do not make friends with those that associate themselves with our enemies. And these two are-"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru growled, silencing his servant. "Let them do as they wish."

"Wha…" Jaken was about to give his opinion, but the look Sesshomaru gave him made him change his mind. "As you wish, milord."

Beaming, Rin turned back to Kohaku and Kagura. "You will come with us, won't you?" she pleaded. "Rin would really like you to come. Please."

Kohaku and Kagura shared a look of uncertainty. Truth be told, they never thought beyond this point. Kagura had been set on destroying Naraku and having her freedom, and Kohaku had been set on finding Naraku's heart and killing its owner. Neither of them had ever really thought past that. What _did _they want to do?

Kagura had her freedom, and as long as Naraku continued to think that she was dead, she could do as she pleased. But what did she want to do with this new freedom?

Kohaku had always planned on returning to his sister and Kilala after he killed Naraku, but he couldn't face her, not yet. He wasn't ready. How could he just waltz up to his last remaining family member, whom he had attempted to kill on several occasions, especially after he had killed their father and friends?

But whatever they decided to do would have to be put off. They both still had one goal in mind. And that was to end Naraku's reign of terror. And it would be much easier to do this with Sesshomaru's group.

After they both came to a silent agreement, Kohaku turned to Rin. "Ok, Rin, we'll come."

"Yay!" the girl cried, jumping up and down. "Rin is so happy!"

She grabbed Kohaku's hand and pulled him along. Kagura followed behind them, giving the angry Jaken a smug look. Ahead of them all, Sesshomaru led the way, a small smile displayed on his lips.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Naraku stood shakingly to his feet, his hand clenching his chest to ease the pain. He knew what had happened. Akago had been killed. He had felt his 'son' die, and _damn_ did it hurt. He hoped that Kagura had suffered that much and more when he had crushed her heart and ended her miserable life. And as for the demon slayer, he would suffer before he died too.

Hakudōshi struggled to stand up, also feeling the painful affects of his brother dying. "Akago is dead." He said, stating the obvious.

"I'm aware." Naraku seethed, trying to control his temper. Damn those traitors. He should have killed Kagura long ago, and he never should have brought Kohaku back to life, regardless of their usefulness. Well, at least the wind bitch was dead. Next he would retrieve his jewel shard, ending the demon slayer's life. He would then deliver the boy's head to Inuyasha's group, just to spite them.

Glancing at his remaining companions, Naraku realized that he was shorthanded. True, he had an endless supply of poisonous insects, since they could come back to life after they were killed through the Saimyōshō hive, which was why these insects of Hell found it so easy to sacrifice themselves, but they were only really useful for spying on others and stopping the monk's Wind Tunnel. Kanna was useful, but she wasn't a fighter. She had many special abilities, but wasn't strong herself. Hakudōshi was, at the moment his number one servant, but the child-like demon held the remainder of his heart. He would not send him out unless he was sure of his safety. His last servant, Mōryōmaru, was, without doubt, his strongest and most dangerous minion. The problem was that Mōryōmaru could hardly think for himself. He needed someone else to act as his consciousness.

It seemed as if Naraku had no choice but to create another incarnation. He closed his eyes and did a quick mental scan of his body. He had a few parts of demons he had absorbed that he could spare. He would use that to create another incarnation. But he would have to go out and absorb more demons later, or else regeneration will become difficult for him because he will have nothing left to create his body with.

He began to concentrate on his body. Bones and flesh began to move within him as he fused pieces of himself together. New life began to stir within him. He felt his creation begin to grow on its own and make an attempt to separate from its parent.

Naraku severed his new child from him and extracted it from his body. The mound of flesh fell away and began its own birth. When it was finished, a hand burst out of the mound of flesh, reaching for the sky as Naraku smiled down at his new child.

**(A/N: I love how Rin talks in the third person, it's so cute! She's one of my favorite characters. Anyway, Akago is dead and Naraku is not happy about it. He has created a new incarnation, who will be revealed later. The next few chapters will revolve around Sesshomaru's group and his new companions as they get more comfortable around each other.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Sesshomaru is not sure if Kohaku is trustworthy, so he has a little talk with him.**_


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontations

**(A/N: Hello everyone. Hope you found the story ok. This chapter gets a dramatic and is kinds of said, but it's really sweet too. The smallest bit of romance begins to spark too. So have fun reading.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 4: Confrontations**

In the days that followed, Sesshomaru kept a close watch over Rin and Kohaku. He wasn't sure if the boy was trustworthy. He believed that he was telling the truth about not wanting to obey Naraku, but that still didn't mean this wasn't a trick. If Naraku had taken over the boy's mind once before, he could do it again. Sesshomaru didn't want to kill the boy, but if he attacked Rin, he would do so. However, it didn't seem like the boy would have a chance since he seemed to be avoiding her, regardless of Rin's attempts to spend time with him.

Sesshomaru watched Rin make Jaken chase her. Sweet little Rin. She was so trusting, so kind. Perhaps that was why he cared for her. She melted his icy heart and he came to love her as if she were his own daughter. He didn't want anything to happen to her. And right now his main concern was the boy she had become so fond of.

"Kagura."

She turned to the demon lord. "Yes."

"Tell me of the boy you came with. Is he a danger?"

"Kohaku?" asked Kagura. She threw her head back and laughed. "He is the last person you need to be concerned about."

That didn't convince the dog-demon. "He has fought against me before. And he did try to kill Rin."

Kagura waved it off. "That wasn't him. It was Naraku working through him."

"This Sesshomaru is not concerned of the boy's action. What worries me is the chance of Naraku possessing his mind again."

"Ah." Kagura replied in understanding. "That you will have to talk to him about."

Sesshomaru growled in annoyance. "Very well. If you will watch Rin, I will speak to the boy."

Kagura shrugged. "As you wish. Hey, Rin!"

The girl stopped, causing Jaken to crash into her, and turned to the wind-demon. "Yes, Lady Kagura."

Kagura held out her hand. "Lets go have some girl time."

Rin beamed. "Ok!"

Kohaku blinked in confusion as he watched Rin skipping away with Kagura, holding the wind-demon's hand. He knew this wasn't about 'girl time'. One glance at Sesshomaru proved him right, especially when he told Jaken to leave them and to take Ah-Un with him.

Sesshomaru locked eyes with Kohaku and motioned for him to approach. He did so carefully, uncertain of the demon lord's intentions.

"Is there a problem, Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked.

Sesshomaru was silent for a moment as he thought about what he wanted to ask. "This Sesshomaru has some questions, and he expects you to be truthful. Be careful of how you answer, for I shall know if you lie."

Kohaku nodded, indicating that he understood. "I will answer each question as truthful as possible, unless I am unable to give out certain information."

Sesshomaru seemed satisfied with that. "How and why did you enter Naraku's service?"

Kohaku sighed. He really didn't want to get into that, but he had very little choice in the matter. He had no choice but to confess. "It happened about a year ago. My father, sister, several other slayers, and I were called to exterminate a demon. After the job was done, Naraku possessed me and forced me to kill everyone. Only my sister survived. I was killed in the massacre. But Naraku brought me back to life with a shard of the sacred jewel."

"Why would he need a human?" Sesshomaru interrupted.

"It was because of my sister. She joined Inuyasha's group. Naraku knew that they wouldn't harm me, so he sent me to do missions for him, not having to worry about them killing me."

Sesshomaru growled. Naraku was such a manipulative bastard. He enjoyed toying and using others. It was despicable.

"At first he was just controlling my mind." Kohaku continued. "Then he gave me back control, but erased all my memories of my life. He ordered me to do his bidding. Obeying him was all I knew how to do. But even when he ordered me to kill others, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I even hid things from Naraku because I knew they were wrong. During these times, Naraku would control my mind again.

"One day I broke his spell. I freed myself from his control and regained my memories. I vowed from then on to kill Naraku. I pretended I was still his servant in order to get close to him, and I also stopped his plans without being discovered."

Sesshomaru nodded. "I see. Tell me of when you found Naraku's heart."

Kohaku smirked a little. This part always made him smile. "Since I was 'dedicated' to Naraku, he trusted me. Enough to allow me to know the location of his heart so I could guard it. At this point, Kagura and I were already working together. I was unable to retrieve Akago, so Kagura did it. We both tried to kill him, but couldn't. So we decided to leave. We knew that Naraku would figure us out after that. Only someone close to Naraku could have gotten to his heart. Only I knew where it was and was willing to tell, and only Kagura was capable of retrieving it at the time. He would have known that I told her where to find Akago. Had we stayed, Naraku would have killed us."

So that was the boy's story. He was innocent in all of this. But that didn't mean that he wasn't still a danger. Which left him with his last question. "Can Naraku take control of you again?"

Kohaku shook his head. "If he could, he would have by now. I broke his spell. He can't control me."

Satisfied with the boy's answers, Sesshomaru decided that he could trust the boy, for now anyway. But he could see something within him. While the boy had told his story there had been deep sadness, guilt, and self-hatred. Though everything he did had not been his fault, technically not even his doing, he felt guilty. He hadn't forgiven himself. Sesshomaru thought about this for a moment and decided that he knew of only one person capable of healing those kinds of mental wounds.

"Kohaku."

The boy jumped. "Yes."

"When Rin returns, this Sesshomaru is going to speak to her. I want you to hide and listen to our conversation."

Kohaku was confused by the dog-demon's request. "Why?"

"Do not question this Sesshomaru." Was all he got as an answer.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Rin skipped happily along, gathering flowers as she did so. She loved picking flowers for Sesshomaru and Jaken. Now she had two more friends she could pick flowers for.

"You sure have a lot of flowers there, Rin." Said Kagura, smiling.

Rin nodded happily. "Yup, Rin likes picking flowers. This one is for Lord Sesshomaru. This one is for Master Jaken. These two are for Ah-Un. This one," she blushed, "is for Kohaku."

Kagura chuckled. "That's very nice."

Rin held up a flower to her. "This one is for you, Lady Kagura."

Kagura blinked. She looked down at the beaming child in confusion. As she accepted the flower she felt tears prickle her eyes.

'_Why do I feel like crying?'_ she wondered. _'It's only a stupid flower. It's not important… Still… she picked it… for me. No one has ever given me a gift before.'_

Rin was unaware of the conversation Kagura was having with herself as she put the last flower in her hair. "And this one is for Rin!" She smiled up at Kagura and noticed the look on the wind-demon's face. "Lady Kagura, are you alright?"

Kagura snapped out of her thoughts. She smiled at the girl and placed the flower in her hair as she did. "Yes, Rin, I'm fine. Thank you."

Rin smiled. "You're very welcome, Lady Kagura. Rin is very glad you and Kohaku are with us."

Kagura frowned. _'But why? After what I've done. I haven't even apologized to her. But I've never apologized to anyone before. Guess this is a good a time as any to start.'_ "Rin, I owe you an apology."

Rin's happy face became a confused one. "For what, Lady Kagura?"

Kagura looked away. "For the time I kidnapped you. I never wanted to hurt you, Rin."

Rin laughed. "Is that what you're worried about, Lady Kagura? Don't worry, Rin has already forgiven you. Rin knows you didn't want to hurt Rin. Naraku made you do it."

"And you forgive me, just like that?"

Rin nodded. "Of course! Do you not want Rin to forgive you?"

"Of course I do!"

Rin chuckled. "Then no more feeling sad? Ok?"

Kagura smiled and nodded. "Ok."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Lord Sesshomaru, we're back!" Rin cried happily. "Look, Rin picked flowers for everyone!"

Sesshomaru accepted the flower, resisting the urge to smile. He watched in amusement as she skipped to the others, handing each of them flowers. He noticed her blush when she handed one to Kohaku and was also aware of the color rise in the boy's face as well. He frowned, not sure how he felt about this. He would think on it later and decide what to do then. First he wanted to talk to his ward.

"Rin, come with me." He said.

"Coming, Lord Sesshomaru!"

As she hopped after him, Sesshomaru gave Kohaku a look, making sure he remembered what they had spoken about. Kohaku nodded and began to follow them.

"What did you want to talk to Rin about?" the ever cheerful girl asked.

"It's about your friend, Kohaku."

"What about him?"

The demon lord's eyes glanced towards Kohaku's hiding place. Good, so he was listening to them. "Why are you friends with him?"

Rin frowned, looking confused. "Why wouldn't Rin be friends with him?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. Did she forget about what happened in the past, or was she really _that_ trusting and forgiving? Most likely it was the latter. "Have you forgotten that he used to work for Naraku?"

Rin shook her head. "No, but so did Lady Kagura. But neither of them wanted to. He forced them. They're good people. Rin really likes them."

"He tried to kill you." Sesshomaru reminded her.

"No, he didn't." Rin insisted. "Naraku did. He was just using Kohaku's body. Rin knows that Kohaku would never hurt Rin. He's too good of a person. He even saved Rin. Kohaku is Rin's very best friend."

Sesshomaru heard Kohaku gasp in surprise. Good, perhaps the boy will stop blaming himself now that he heard someone he nearly killed say these things.

'_Why do I even care?'_ he thought. He looked back at the girl beside him. _'I'm doing this for Rin. She wants her friend to be happy.'_ Or so he told himself. "So you hold no grudge against him?"

Rin shook her head. "Rin has no reason to."

"You don't hate him?"

"No."

"And you forgive him."

"There's nothing to forgive."

Sesshomaru nodded, satisfied. He turned back to the tree Kohaku was hiding behind. "You can come out now, boy."

Rin looked confusedly in the direction Sesshomaru was looking in. After a moment's hesitation, Kohaku stepped out from behind the tree with a look of amazement on his face.

Rin waved. "Hi, Kohaku." She said, not seeming to care that he had been eavesdropping.

"You two may talk if necessary." Said Sesshomaru. As he walked by Kohaku, he paused for a moment. "Perhaps this will help you to stop blaming yourself." He told him before he left the two alone.

The two children were silent. Kohaku seemed to be deep in thought while Rin gave him a confused look. "Kohaku?"

The boy jumped when he heard his name. He looked at Rin in disbelief. "Rin, am I really your best friend?"

Rin nodded. "Yes."

"But I tried to kill you."

Rin giggled. "Silly Kohaku, didn't you hear what Rin said? It was Naraku that tried to kill Rin." She frowned. "Oh no, you blame yourself, don't you?"

Kohaku looked away, ashamed, and nodded. Rin walked up to Kohaku and touched his arm. Kohaku jumped as if her touch hurt him. Rin seemed very upset by this. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Kohaku, please don't blame yourself. You're a very good person. Anything bad you've done was because of Naraku."

"I still did it." Kohaku replied, blinking back tears.

Rin frowned, trying to think of a way to make him feel better. "Kohaku, you know about Lord Sesshomaru's brother, Inuyasha, right?" When he nodded she continued. "Well, when his demon blood takes over and he because real scary and does bad things, he's not in control of himself. Is that his fault? Should he blame himself?"

Kohaku thought about it. "No, I guess not."

"Well, it's the same thing with you. Only instead of being taken over by demon blood, you were taken over by Naraku. See, it's not your fault."

Her words actually had him smile. "How did you get to be so smart, Rin?"

The girl giggled. "Rin just sees things that other people have a hard time seeing. So no more feeling bad, ok?"

Kohaku frowned again. "I don't know. The things I've done… My sister, how can I ever face her again?"

"Rin is sure that she's forgiven you." said Rin. "Your sister knows you're not bad. Even when you were working for Naraku you tried to do good. Remember how you saved Rin from the demons at Mount Hakuray? You risked your life to save Rin."

Kohaku hung his head. "Yeah, about that, those were Naraku's demons. Since I was working for him, they were under my control. I was never in any danger."

Rin seemed unfazed by this. "But if they weren't under your control and they would have attacked, would you still have protected Rin?"

"With my life."

Rin smiled. "Then it's the same thing. See, Kohaku is a good friend to Rin. Rin knows he would never hurt her."

Kohaku laughed humorlessly. "I don't even know how you can stand to be in my presence after the things I've done. Aren't you afraid that Naraku will posses me again."

Rin shook her head. "No, Rin knows Kohaku broke Naraku's spell. And even if you didn't, you still couldn't hurt Rin even when Naraku was controlling you. Rin is not worried." Kohaku turned away. Rin seemed confused for a moment, but then a look of understanding crossed over her face. "You're afraid Naraku is going to control you again. That's why you've been avoiding Rin."

Kohaku winced. So she had figured it out. "Yes, Rin, that's why."

"But you broke the his spell."

Kohaku nodded. "I know, and I know that it's not logical to worry about it, but I'm still afraid." When he turned to look at her, she saw that he had tears in his eyes. "I'm absolutely terrified of it. I don't want to hurt you, Rin. I know that there's nothing to worry about, but in the back of my mind, the fear just won't go away."

Suddenly Rin surprised him by hugging his arm tightly. When she spoke, she too sounded close to tears. "Please don't be afraid to be around Rin! Rin really likes you, Kohaku! Rin doesn't want you to be afraid!"

"Rin…"

"No, Kohaku! No more being afraid! Rin wants to spend time with Kohaku! Rin wants to play with Kohaku! She doesn't want you to worry! Please stop!"

Kohaku just stared at her, lost for words. Rin was so kind and caring. He would do anything for her.

"Rin, please don't cry. I don't want to see you upset."

Rin turned her tear stained face up to meet his. "Then you be happy too."

Kohaku couldn't help but smile. "Ok, I'll try, Rin. For you."

Rin smiled and wiped away her tears. "Thank you, Kohaku." She said. Then she surprised him by kissing his cheek. When she stepped back she was blushing, but she looked happy. "Now come play with Rin!"

She ran off laughing, leaving a stunned Kohaku behind.

**(A/N: Wasn't that sweet? Who knew Sesshomaru could be so nice? And isn't Rin just the sweetest thing? I think she and Kohaku make the perfect couple. I know that there are a lot of Rin/Sesshomaru shippers out there, but personally, their relationship to me is more father/daughter and isn't likely to end up as a romantic relationship; that would be like a father getting romantically involved with his adoptive daughter, but that's just my opinion. But Rin and Kohaku are so cute together! They're one of my favorite anime couples. We'll be seeing much more development in their relationship as the story progresses, as well as Sesshomaru and Kagura. So leave me lots of reviews and I'll bring you the next chapter.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Sesshomaru has a talk with Kagura while Rin and Kohaku go off to have some fun. (Not **_**that**_** kind of fun, you pervs!) But they're playtime is interrupted by a demon.**_


	5. Chapter 5: Hide and Seek

**(A/N: Hey people. How ya doing? Up for another chapter? I hope so, because I got another one for you. So kick back, relax, and enjoy the chapter.)**

**Chapter 5: Hide-and-Seek**

Kagura noticed a change in Kohaku. He seemed much happier, and he wasn't avoiding Rin anymore. In fact, he seemed to be spending all of his time with Rin. The two children got along very well. It made Kagura smile. She was glad Kohaku was happy. He deserved to be. There was still guilt within him, but it would heal over time, and Rin was doing a very good job at helping him to get over it.

"Hey, Sesshomaru." She said.

The demon lord glanced at her. "What is it?"

Kagura snickered. "Don't think I haven't noticed the change in Kohaku. He seems to be doing much better. Curiously enough, it started the day you had your private conversation with him. Just what did you say that made him feel better?"

Sesshomaru looked away, turning his attention back to the children. "You are mistaken. This Sesshomaru merely questioned him about his service with Naraku. Rin did the rest. It is she you should be thanking, not I."

Kagura held her fan in front of her face to hide her smirk. "Whatever you say." She looked back at the children. Rin was chasing Kohaku, who was running just fast enough for her to keep pace, but not catch him. Kagura chuckled. "You know, I think they like each other."

Sesshomaru didn't respond. He was for than aware of the relationship between his ward and the demon slayer. He didn't know how he felt about it.

'_Why do I care? It shouldn't matter to me. It's not like Rin is my daughter.'_

"Lord Sesshomaru, Rin is hungry." The girl said.

Jaken was the first to speak. "Again? You just ate not too long ago!"

"We humans are not like you demons." Kohaku reminded him. "We need more rest and sustenance than you do."

Jaken growled and muttered something that sounded like, "What a nuisance."

"Come on, Rin." Said Kohaku, holding out his hand. "I'll find something to eat for you."

"Thank you, Kohaku!" cried Rin happily, taking his hand.

Jaken looked back and forth between the children and Sesshomaru. "Milord, are you just going to let them leave?"

"Rin is in safe hands." He assured the toad-demon. "The boy won't allow any harm to come to her."

Jaken shrugged. "Well, if you're sure."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Try and catch Rin, Kohaku!" the girl cried, running away.

Kohaku smiled. He loved how innocent Rin was. She was the definition of kindness. How she could ever see him as a friend was something he would never figure out, but he was grateful to have a friend like her.

Unconsciously, he reached up to feel the place she had kissed him. Why did she kiss him?

'_It was just a friendly kiss.'_ He told himself. _'Just a kiss among friends, nothing more.'_

But then why did he blush whenever she smiled at him? Why did he want to spend every waking moment with her?

'_Great, I've got a crush on Sesshomaru's ward.'_

"Ooh, apples!" Rin cried happily.

She ran over to the apple tree, attempting to climb it.

"Be careful, Rin." Said Kohaku worriedly.

"Rin will."

As she said this, she suddenly fell. Kohaku quickly caught her before she hit the ground. Once she got over her initial shock, she started giggling.

"That was fun."

Kohaku shook his head. "You're silly."

He set her down and took out his sickle. With a few tosses, he cut down several apples, which Rin was quick to gather.

"Rin loves apples!" she stated. She handed Kohaku the biggest one. "You can have the big one."

Kohaku wasn't all that hungry. "No, you go ahead."

"But Rin wants you to have it."

He sighed and accepted the apple. Anything to make Rin happy; not that she ever wasn't.

"Hey, Kohaku, lets get Master Jaken and play Hide-and-Seek."

Kohaku gave her a curious look. "Hide-and-Seek?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "This is a good place to hide. There's lots of hiding places. And now that there's three of us we can have a real game."

"Um…"

"Let's go ask Lord Sesshomaru."

And she was off again. She was fast for such a little thing. Kohaku was surprised. She was just a little girl and he was a trained demon slayer, yet she seemed to have just as much energy as him, if not more.

"Master Jaken, come play Hide-and-Seek with Rin and Kohaku!" she cried.

Jaken looked appalled at the idea. "I do not play Hide-and Seek with children!" he cried.

Rin pouted and turned to the demon lord. "Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken won't play with us."

Sesshomaru didn't even look at them. "Jaken, play with Rin." He said.

"B-But, milord…"

Kagura smirked. "You heard him. Start counting."

She sent a blade of cutting wind at him. It hit the ground by his feet, sending the toad-demon flying. Rin giggled and turned her head sideways to look at the upside-down Jaken.

"You're so funny, Master Jaken." She said. "Ok, you count to 50 while Rin and Kohaku hide."

Jaken grumbled. "Fine! One… two… three-"

"Master Jaken, you're supposed to close your eyes and count."

Jaken looked beyond frustrated. "One… two… three… four…"

Rin ran over to Kohaku and grabbed his hand. "Come on, Kohaku, let's go hide!"

"You're just bursting with energy, aren't you?" he said smiling.

Rin nodded. "Lots of energy is good. You can have more fun."

She looked around for a suitable hiding place. She wanted to find a good one. A place where even a demon would have trouble finding her. Suddenly a thought struck her. She turned in the direction Jaken was in and shouted as loud as she could.

"MASTER JAKEN, YOU HAVE TO _LOOK_ FOR US! NO FINDING US BY OUR SCENT!" She turned to Kohaku and gave him smile. "You go hide now."

Kohaku hesitated as she took off. He didn't want to leave her alone. Who knows what lived in this forest? There could be demons nearby.

Kohaku shook his head. _'Don't worry so much.'_ He told himself. _'You can't live in fear all the time. Besides, if any demons were nearby, Sesshomaru would have picked up their scent.'_

Feeling more at ease, he went to find his own hiding place.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kagura leaned back against a tree and sighed. She was happy. She felt like she was finally living. Her life under Naraku's command had been awful, having to go out to either spy, kill, steal, or whatever else Naraku wanted. Kagura had hated that life. But now he no longer had control over her.

Sighing again, Kagura lifted her hand to her chest to feel her heart beating. She smiled when she felt the now familiar _thump, thump_ of her heart.

"I assure you that it's in there." Said Sesshomaru. "Just as it has been every other time you've felt it."

Kagura smirked. "I know, I just like to reassure myself. You have no idea how awful it is not to have a heart. Personally, I don't see how Naraku could so carelessly toss his aside."

Her words brought up a few things that Sesshomaru had been wondering. "Tell me, exactly how did Naraku separate his heart from his body."

Kagura tapped her closed fan in her palm, thinking of the best way to answer the question. "It's hard to put into words. You see, Naraku was born when several demons merged with Onigumo. He uses other demons to make up his body. But he is still just a half-demon. And like any other half-demon, he has a time of weakness. But instead of turning human, his body breaks down into the pieces of the demons that make up his body."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. That was interesting. If he could get Naraku during his time of weakness, the half-demon wouldn't stand a chance.

"When is his time of weakness?" he asked.

Kagura shrugged. "He decides that. He can choose when it is. And during that time, he examines his body and removes any parts that he sees as a weakness. It's because of this ability that he can create incarnations. He just used his heart as the piece that gave Akago life."

Sesshomaru nodded. "I see. So he cast out his own heart. But tell me how he was able to steal your heart. Did you cast out yours and he stole it?"

"Ha!" Kagura laughed. "I don't have his abilities. And even if I could, I would never cast out my heart. No, when he created me, he separated my heart from my body. I don't know how or why. Maybe he had a feeling that I wouldn't be loyal, maybe he was just experimenting, I don't know. But whatever the reason, he had the power to take my life at any moment." She laughed humorlessly. "It's funny, he had my heart and could kill me whenever he wanted, but by holding my heart he saved my life."

"How so?" asked Sesshomaru.

Kagura sighed. "Remember awhile back when I first told you that I found Naraku's heart? I had that large wound in my chest. I would have died if I had my heart back then, but since I didn't, I survived. It's similar to the way Naraku has his immortality."

Sesshomaru didn't reply. Kagura glanced at him, but his face showed no indication of what he was thinking.

"Kagura, how did you obtain that wound?" he asked.

Kagura did a double take. She hadn't expected him to ask a question like that. "I attacked a fortress where I thought Naraku was hiding his heart. I received the injury in the battle. I fled after that…"

"And came to meet me." Sesshomaru finished.

Kagura didn't reply right away. "…Yeah."

"And why did you come to this Sesshomaru during what should have been your last few moments alive?"

"I… I…" She blushed and didn't answer. She turned away instead. "No reason…"

"Why do you not want to answer the question?"

Kagura opened her fan and used it to hide her red face. "It's… nothing."

"You lie." Said Sesshomaru calmly. "You hesitate to answer, and your tone tells me that you're embarrassed. What reason would you have to be embarrassed?"

Kagura growled. _'The smart ass. Why does he have to be able to read me so well?'_ "I had my reasons."

"Did you think I could save you?"

"…That wasn't it." Now she was getting frustrated.

"Did you think I would avenge you?"

"…No."

"Then why did you-"

Kagura lost her temper. "BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE YOU AGAIN BEFORE I DIED!" she shouted.

When her voice died down, there wasn't a sound to be heard in the entire area. Kagura's anger quickly changed to embarrassment and she hid her face behind her fan again.

Sesshomaru looked at her, still showing no emotion. "And why would you want to see this Sesshomaru before you died?"

There was no way he was getting anything else out of her. She just 'humphed' and refused to answer. Sesshomaru waited a few seconds before deciding that she wasn't going to tell him.

"Very well, you need not explain."

His uncaring tone infuriated Kagura. Here he was asking all these questions, and finally she starts answering, and just before the important part comes, he acts like he's not interested.

'_Damn your easygoing attitude.'_ She thought, risking a peak at him. The wind picked up, blowing his empty sleeve. Kagura smiled as a thought struck her. _'Time for some payback.'_ "I've answered your question, time for you to answer mine."

He gave her a curious look. "What question?"

She smirked at him. "How did you receive your injury?" He raised an eyebrow in question. Kagura snickered. "Don't think I haven't noticed that your left arm is missing. A battle wound of your own perhaps?"

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and turned away. "It was back when I was a different person. I was arrogant and overconfident back then. I searched for the Tetsusaiga, only to discover that it rightfully belonged to Inuyasha. I had underestimated my brother's ability to handle the sword and paid the price for it."

"So, he cut off your arm." Said Kagura. She sighed and leaned back. "Yeah, his sword is powerful."

"It was forged from our father's fang." Sesshomaru explained. "Father gave it to him so he could use it to protect those he cared for. And he gave me the Tenseiga so I could save those I cared for."

Kagura smiled. "Well, I'm glad you had the Tenseiga, or else I would be dead right now. I owe you my life, Sesshomaru. Even if you did only save me so I could tell you about Naraku's heart."

Sesshomaru caught her eye, and she saw the slightest bit of surprise in them. "You think that is why this Sesshomaru spared your life?"

Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it?"

Sesshomaru turned away. "I do not need any help in defeating Naraku. Your information was not why I saved you."

He got up and walked away, indicating that he was done talking. Kagura remained where she was in complete shock.

'_He didn't save me because I had information on Naraku?'_ she thought in bewilderment. _'Then… why did he save me?'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)_  
_

'_This will be the perfect place to hide.'_ Rin thought happily, as she continued to climb the highest tree she could find. _'Master Jaken will never find Rin up here. And it's a good place to hide.'_

She went as high as she could go, poking her head out of the top of the tree and looking around.

"Wow, this is a big forest!" She said. "It must go on forever! Oh, there's Kohaku!"

She saw the demon slayer hiding inside a hollow tree trunk. She wanted to wave to him, but didn't think he would see her, and she didn't want to give her hiding place away to Jaken.

"I wonder if Master Jaken has reached 50 yet. He should be looking for us by now." She giggled. "I bet he finds Kohaku before he finds Rin. Oh, there he is now!"

She spotted the frustrated toad-demon shoving bushes and shrubbery away as he made his way through the forest, most likely complaining about babysitting, looking for them. Rin giggled. Jaken could be so funny sometimes.

It was then that she heard what sounded like the flapping of wings. It sounded like it was coming from behind her. Trying not to fall out of the tree, she turned around just in time to spot a hawk-demon right before it caught her in its talons. Rin cried out as she was carried off.

"I haven't had human in ages." The demon remarked. "You look very appetizing."

Rin turned as much as she could in the demon's claws to look at it in the face. "You better let Rin go or else Lord Sesshomaru and Kohaku will get you." she said angrily.

The demon just laughed. "Good, then I'll be eating well tonight."

Rin glared at the demon before screaming, "LORD SESSHOMARU, KOHAKU, HELP!"

"No one can help you now, girl. You're-" A sickle attacked to a chain flew by the hawk-demon, just missing. "What the hell was that?"

Rin smiled happily. "Oh, Kohaku!"

The demon angrily watched the sickle return to its owner. His anger doubled when he saw that it was a human that had the nerve to attack him. "Human, how dare you attack me!"

Kohaku glared at the demon. "Put her down!"

"I don't take orders from a weakling!"

Rin pounded the demon's talon with her fists. "You better do what he says! He's a demon slayer! He'll beat you up!"

Some interest appeared on the demon's face. "A demon slayer, you say? Interesting." He landed by Kohaku, tossing Rin aside. "I'll deal with you later, girl. First I'll take care of the slayer."

Kohaku held up his sickle. "Rin, are you ok?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the hawk-demon.

She nodded. "Yes, Rin's fine."

"Good. Now listen up, demon, no one hurts Rin. Leave now or I'll be forced to take you down."

The demon laughed. "Foolish boy, I won't be taken down by a human. Now die!"

The demon lashed out with its talons. Kohaku dodged its outstretched arm while slashing it with his sickle. The demon cried out and opened its beaked mouth to unleash a blast of demonic energy. Kohaku jumped to the side, avoiding the attack, but the shockwave of the blast still knocked him off his feet. The demon charged at him while he was down. Kohaku swung his sickle, striking the demon across the chest.

"Damn human!" the demon cried. He spread his wings and took to the air. "Lets see you hit me now!"

Kohaku prepared himself for an aerial attack as the hawk-demon circled overhead. Its entire focus was now on him. He decided to lure it away from Rin, so she could get away.

"Coward, where do you think you're going?" the demon wailed.

It swooped down, talons outstretched to grab him. Kohaku dove forward at the last moment, causing the demon to fly past him. He quickly threw his sickle, catching the demon's wing, and held on tightly. He was dragged across the ground a bit, but the demon was worse off as the blade cut down its wing. Spinning out of control, it crashed head first into a tree.

"Kohaku, are you alright?" Rin cried worriedly, running over to him.

"Rin, stay back, you could get hurt!" he cried.

The demon stumbled forward, clutching his head as its injured wing rested limply at its side. "Damn you! Damn you!"

It pounced at the two of them. Kohaku quickly pushed Rin away. The demon landed in between them, but ignored Rin as it turned to Kohaku.

"I bet you think you're real tough." it said. "Well, now I'll make your death slow and painful."

The demon lashed out again. Kohaku batted away its claws with his sickle. He blocked the attacks, but the demon was pushing him back until he was eventually against a tree.

"Got you now." The demon declared.

A sudden tug on its tail feathers distracted it. Turning around, it saw Rin pulling on its long tail feathers.

"Leave him alone!" Rin cried.

"Rin, no, get out of here!" Kohaku cried.

The demon didn't give her a chance to leave. "Pesky human!"

It swung at her, claws out.

"NO!" Kohaku shouted, throwing his sickle.

It flew through the air, cutting the demon's hand off before it reached Rin. Crying in pain and spraying blood everywhere, the demon turned back to Kohaku, clutching the stump where its hand used to be.

"Little bastard!" it shouted.

It opened its mouth to unleash another blast of demonic energy, but this time Kohaku was ready. He threw his sickle at an angle that caused the chain to wrap around the demon's beak.

The demon's body expanded three times its size as the attack erupted within it. Its eyes rolled up in its head as smoke escape its mouth. Kohaku pulled back his sickle, releasing the demon's mouth and allowing a cloud of smoke to escape. The demon dropped to the ground and remained motionless.

Kohaku glared at the unmoving demon. _'That will teach you for trying to hurt Rin.'_

"Kohaku!"

He suddenly had the wind knocked out of him as Rin crashed into him, hugging him tightly. Kohaku's face turned beet red, but luckily Rin didn't notice.

"Rin, are you ok?"

Rin didn't seem to hear him. "You saved Rin! You saved Rin!"

"Of course I did." He said, willing the warmth out of his cheeks. "I'll always protect you."

"_There_ you two are!"

The children turned to find Jaken hurrying towards them, out of breath from running. It figured that he would show up after the fighting was over.

"Master Jaken."

Jaken caught his breath and glared at the girl. "Don't you 'Master Jaken' me!" he scolded. "You have to be more careful!"

"Rin's ok." Said Rin. "Kohaku protected Rin."

Up in the trees, a short distance away, Sesshomaru watched his servant continue to scold his ward. He glanced curiously at Kohaku as he sheathed Toukijin. He had watched the battle, interested in the boy's ability to fight; though he had been ready to step in if he needed to.

He looked at the demon that had attacked. It was about 12 feet tall, with brown feathers covering its muscular human shaped body. Hawk wings grew out of its back, and talons, complete with long sharp nails, were on its hands and feet. This demon would be no match for him, but against a human it would be pretty strong.

'_You have skills, boy, but you still have a long way to go.'_

"-should have known that demons could get you if you wandered around!" Jaken continued. "Next time pick a game that doesn't involve you going off on your own without anyone knowing where you are! And as for you," he turned to Kohaku, "how could you let that demon get hold of her in the first place."

Kohaku hung his head. "I'm sorry, Master Jaken. It won't happen again."

"Don't be upset." Said Rin. "You didn't do anything wrong. Besides, you saved Rin."

Jaken didn't see things the way she did. "He still allowed that demon to lay its hands on you! You're lucky it didn't just- AH! IT'S STILL ALIVE!"

Kohaku and Rin turned to see the hawk-demon on its hands and knees, looking furious. It gave them a look of pure hatred.

"You, I'll rip you to pieces, you puny human!" it roared. "But first, I'm going to-"

It suddenly stopped talking as an energy whip cut through it, right down the middle. The two halves fell away as the demon dropped dead. Behind it stood Sesshomaru, having been the one to finish it off.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" cried Jaken. "I was just telling Rin and the boy that…"

He trailed off as Sesshomaru turned and began to walk away. "Jaken, we are leaving." He said tonelessly. "Rin, Kohaku, come."

Rin smiled. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!" she said happily, as if she hadn't just been attacked by a demon.

She grabbed Kohaku's hand and pulled him along, leaving a grumbling Jaken to follow behind them.

**(A/N: Go Kohaku! He took down that hawk-demon, even if Sesshomaru finished it off. And speaking of Sesshomaru, he just admitted to bringing Kagura back to life for reasons other than what she knew about Naraku. Ooh, things are getting good now.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Rin and Kohaku bond even more as Kohaku tells Rin of his past, sort of. Then they have a little run in with Kouga, who is still after Kagura's head.**_


	6. Chapter 6: Enter Kouga

**(A/N: After my little preview from last chapter, you've probably been anxious to see what is going to happen. I really like this chapter, especially the part between Kohaku and Rin. I hope you like it.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 6: Enter Kouga**

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Naraku demanded angrily. "You've had days! How come you haven't found him yet?"

Kanna showed no reaction to her father's anger. "I have tried scrying him. But every time I get close, my visions fail." She said emotionlessly. "Only a very powerful aura could block me."

Naraku growled and began pacing. Hakudōshi thought about what his sister said. The only people that he knew of who would be capable of such a thing were Kikyou and Sesshomaru. Both were a possibility, unless Kohaku had managed to find someone else strong enough to block Kanna's scrying.

It couldn't have been Inuyasha or any of his friends, none of them were strong enough to pull off something like that. Well, Kagome was, but she wasn't capable of controlling her priestess powers yet. Hakudōshi couldn't see how it could be anyone else besides Sesshomaru or Kikyou. He mentioned this to Naraku, who agreed that it was indeed a possibility.

"The only thing that makes me uncertain of this is whether or not Sesshomaru would protect the boy." He said. "I had forced Kohaku to fight him and kill his ward."

"Perhaps he is protecting him to spite you." Hakudōshi suggested.

Naraku shook his head. "Sesshomaru is not one to do something like that. If he is protecting the boy, it is for another reason. It could be Kikyou, but will she protect someone that was once my servant?" He growled in irritation. "Well, regardless of where he is or who he's with, I want the jewel shard in his back." He turned to his latest incarnation. "Find him and kill him. Then bring me back the jewel shard. Make sure to make his death as painful as possible."

His 'son' nodded. "With pleasure." He said, leaving them.

Kanna turned to Naraku. "Why not simply erase his memories and control him again?" she asked, referring to Kohaku. "He was useful."

Hakudōshi nodded in agreement. "She has a point. I'd like to kill him as much as the next demon, but he was useful against Inuyasha and the others since they wouldn't kill him."

"No!" Naraku snapped, slamming his fist into the wall. "If he broke my spell once, he can do it again. The last time I underestimated him, he and Kagura took Akago. And now he's dead. Damn them. I want Kohaku to suffer. And I wish Kagura was alive just so I could kill her again."

"I would like to kill her too." said Hakudōshi. "I no longer have immortality, because of her." He sighed and looked up at Mōryōmaru. "I wish I had your abilities. You literally can't be killed."

Naraku's eyes widened at those words. He quickly turned and looked from Mōryōmaru, to Hakudōshi, to Kanna. After a few moments of thinking, an evil smile broke out over his face.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"It looks like rain, milord." said Jaken.

Sesshomaru would have rolled his eyes if such behavior weren't below him. Of _course_ it looked like rain. He could smell and feel it. A storm was coming. A big one too. Now he didn't mind spending the night in the rain; he could deal with the discomfort. And he didn't really worry about getting sick since demons _very_ rarely got sick. But Rin and Kohaku were a different story.

"I'm aware of the weather." He said. "We will seek shelter for the night."

Kagura smirked. "I'll take care of it." She said, taking a feather out of her hair.

Rin waved as Kagura took off on her feather. "Hurry back, Lady Kagura!"

Kagura smiled as she watched them get smaller and smaller. Rin was so sweet. No wonder she had been able to melt Sesshomaru's icy heart. Not only that, but she had been able to touch Kagura, and even heal Kohaku's mental wounds.

That just made Kagura smile some more. There was definitely something going on between those two. Kagura thought it was adorable. They would make such a cute couple. It was fun when they would blush at each other.

'_I wonder if Sesshomaru ever blushes.'_

That thought made _her_ blush. She shook her head, trying to get those thoughts out of her mind. Now was not the time to be thinking about her feelings for the demon lord. Sure he was handsome, strong, brave, incredibly sexy, he could make her melt with just a look, his-

'_Stop it Kagura!'_ she scolded herself. _'Stay focused. Find shelter first, then you can fantasize about your gorgeous demon lord.'_

Getting back to business, she looked for suitable shelter. The only thing she managed to find was a cave a couple miles away from were the others were.

'_Wonder if anything lives there.'_

She settled down at the entrance of the cave and immediately caught the scent of a demon. She sighed. _'Damn, it's occupied.'_

And apparently the occupant smelled her arrival, because a few seconds after she landed a large bear-demon came stomping out.

Kagura gave the demon a bored look. "I didn't know this cave was taken." She said. "I'm leaving."

But the demon had other plans. It charged at her, claws raised. Kagura just rolled her eyes and opened her fan.

"Dance of Blades!"

After making quick work of the demon, Kagura determined that the cave was now empty. It wasn't much, but it would be good enough until the rain ended. She made her way back to the others after disposing of the bear-demon's corpse.

"Did you find anything?" asked Kohaku.

Kagura nodded. "I found a cave a few miles ahead. We can spend the night there."

Thunder clapped loudly, startling Rin, who grabbed onto Kohaku. Sesshomaru looked up at the now dark sky. It would start raining soon.

"Let's get there before the rain starts." He said. "Kagura, take Rin and Kohaku. Jaken, bring Ah-Un."

"Yes, milord." Said Jaken.

Rin looked thrilled. "Yay, Rin always wanted to ride on your feather, Lady Kagura."

Kagura smiled. "Well then, climb on. But be careful."

"Rin will!"

Sesshomaru stayed a short distance behind Kagura as they flew through the air. Jaken took this opportunity to speak his mind.

"Milord, why do you let that woman and that boy travel with us?" he asked. "They are useless."

"They are more useful then you." Sesshomaru replied calmly.

Jaken's mouth dropped open. "Wha… but milord, I've been your faithful servant. That boy actually attacked you. And that wench is disrespectful. They're nothing but-"

"Jaken."

"Uh, yes, milord?"

_POW!_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The rain was coming down hard. But everyone was safe and sound in the dry cave. Ah-Un slept curled up with Jaken resting on him. A few feet away, resting against the cave wall, were the others, all sleeping sitting down. Kagura sat on Sesshomaru's left, her head having fallen against his shoulder in her sleep. Rin leaned on Sesshomaru's other side with Kohaku next to her. It wasn't long before they were all asleep.

The thunder clapped loudly, startling Kohaku out of his sleep several hours later. He looked around and noticed that the others were still sleeping. At least he thought so until he noticed Rin trembling.

"Rin, are you ok?" he asked in concern.

Rin looked up at him. She looked scared. "Rin doesn't like the thunder." She said. "It scares Rin."

Kohaku knew how she felt. When he was younger, he too had been afraid of thunder. In an attempt to comfort her, he wrapped his arm around her, and she immediately leaned into him. "There's nothing to be scared of. Everything is alright."

"But it's so loud."

"I know, but you're safe. Ok?"

She nodded against him, just before another sound of thunder came. With a cry of fright, Rin buried her face into his side, holding onto him tightly.

"That was a loud one!" she mumbled.

Kohaku tried to sooth her. "_Shh,_ it's ok. I'll protect you. I promise, you're safe with me. I won't let anything happen to you."

She nodded against him again. "Thank you, Kohaku. You're a good friend."

Slowly her trembling began to stop. When the thunder clapped again she still jumped, but not as much.

"Why's it have to be so loud?" she asked.

Kohaku smiled. "Some people say that the thunder is the sound of the rain gods playing their drums. Just think about that when you get scared. It's just the gods playing their drums."

She smiled slightly. "Rin likes that idea. It's less scary." She was silent for a bit. "Kohaku?"

"Yeah?"

"Can… can Rin lay on your lap?"

Kohaku blinked. When what she said registered to him, he blushed. "Um… sure."

Blushing slightly herself, she moved down and rested her head in his lap. "Thank you." she said, stifling a yawn. "Will you tell Rin a story to help Rin fall asleep?"

"Uh… sure." He tried to think of a story to tell her. He knew several, but couldn't seem to think of any right now. Well, there was one. "Let's see… once upon a time there was a young boy who lived with his father and his sister. He was very happy with his life. But one day an evil demon came and kidnapped the boy. The demon knew that the boy was strong and he wanted to use him as his slave.

"Though the boy hated his master, he was forced to do the demon's bidding. He didn't want to, but the demon had ways of forcing the boy to do things. He even made the boy fight his sister. The boy would rather die then be forced to do such evil things, but he the demon wouldn't let the boy die. And any time the boy wouldn't listen to him, the demon would use his magic to force the boy.

"Then one day the boy made friends with a girl. The two became very good friends. The boy promised to protect the girl from any harm. But the demon wanted the boy to kill the girl. When the boy refused, the demon used his magic to force him. Even under the demon's spell, the boy resisted. He was able to fight the spell long enough for the girl's friends to come and rescue her.

"The demon was very angry that the boy hadn't killed the girl. He was punished for disobeying. But the boy didn't care. He was glad that the girl was all right, but he did feel really bad about what had happened.

"He met the girl again later on. He was afraid she would hate him. But the girl didn't hate him. In fact, she wasn't even angry. She was just happy that the boy was all right. The boy was relieved and very happy to see his friend again. But he knew that she was in danger by being around him. He quickly told her to leave while he made sure his master was distracted.

"Later on, the boy met another one of the demon's slaves. She too wanted to be free from the demon's control. They worked together to trick their master and managed to find his weakness. They overcame their master's power and escaped. They were finally free. But the boy still hated himself for everything that happened. He didn't think he would ever be able to get over his guilt.

"Then he met the girl again. They were both very happy to see each other and began traveling together. As the days went by, the boy and the girl's friendship grew. The girl helped the boy get over his guilt and managed to get him to stop hating himself. The boy was very grateful to the girl. And though the boy had been through a very terrible experience, he was very happy that he met the girl. The two would be friends forever."

Kohaku looked down at Rin. "How was that?"

Rin smiled and closed her eyes. "It was good. Rin's happy the boy got away and got to be with his friend."

Kohaku nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"Rin's also glad to have met you too."

Kohaku smiled and stroked her hair. "I'm glad to have met you too, Rin. Now go to sleep."

"Ok. Good night."

"Good night, Rin."

As the two fell asleep, they failed to notice Sesshomaru open one eye to peek at them before he too fell asleep again.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Kohaku, come splash in the puddles with Rin!"

Kohaku smiled as he watched Rin jump in the small puddles of water the storm left behind. She was splashing muddy water everywhere and getting herself all dirty, but she didn't seem to care.

Jaken didn't find the situation all that amusing. "Rin, stop it! You're getting mud everywhere!"

Rin laughed. "But Master Jaken, everything is already muddy."

"Not me, although you're doing a good job at changing that!"

"Jaken," Said Sesshomaru, "let her be."

Kagura chuckled at the look on the toad-demon's face. "He's right about one thing though." She said. "You're going to need a bath later, Rin."

"Ok." Said Rin. "Kohaku, come play with Rin."

She began hopping from puddle to puddle, getting ahead of the others with Kohaku following her.

"Hey, you two, don't get too far ahead!" Jaken cried.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Kouga, please slow down!" Ginta cried as he and Hakkaku tried to keep up with their leader.

The wolf-demon turned to his companions, looking impatient. "Hurry up you slow pokes!" he shouted and was off again, leaving a tornado of dust behind.

Kouga was in a hurry. He had picked up a certain scent that he had been hoping to find for a while now. Technically, there were three scents he was always searching for. The first and foremost was Naraku. The second was, in his opinion, his beautiful mate-to-be, Kagome. And the last one was the one that killed a number of wolf-demons from his pack. And it just so happens that it was this person's scent that he picked up.

'_I found you. And now I'll make you pay for what you did to my pack mates.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Kohaku, look!" Rin cried, pointing towards the approaching dust tornado. "What is that?"

Kohaku's eyes narrowed. _'Nothing good.'_ "Rin, get behind me!"

She didn't even have a chance to move before the 'dust tornado' reached them. When the dust cleared, there stood Kouga, giving the two kids a curious look.

"Oh, it's you." he said, uncaring.

Rin yelped and ran over to Kohaku. She was afraid of wolves and had every right to be, considering she was killed by them. Thankfully Sesshomaru had brought her back to life with Tenseiga, but she was still afraid of them.

"Kohaku." Rin muttered, frightened, holding onto him tightly.

Kouga raised an eyebrow. "What's her problem?"

Rin whispered something in Kohaku's ear. His eyes widened when she finished speaking and he was filled with a blinding fury.

"She was killed!" he cried, glaring at the wolf-demon. "By your wolves!"

Kouga looked confused. "Killed? How could she be standing there now if she was killed?"

Kohaku raised his sickle. "Not that it's any of your business, but she was brought back to life by Sesshomaru."

"Sesshomaru? Oh yeah, the mutt's brother." He shrugged. "Guess I should apologize for that."

"Apologize?" Kohaku shouted. "You had her killed, and you think you can just apologize! How dare you harm someone as sweet and innocent as Rin!"

Kouga looked taken aback. "Jeez kid, chill out. You act like you're in love with her." Both Rin and Kohaku blushed. "Besides, she's fine now. And if it makes you feel better, I didn't tell my wolves to attack _her_. We were in a village and I told them to feed."

"So you sent your wolves out without caring who they attack?"

Kouga sighed. "Look, I was a different person back then. I don't harm humans anymore, and I'm ashamed for what I've done in the past. I'm just glad that your friend is all right now. I'm sorry for having my wolves attack her. I really mean it too. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Kouga, wait up!" came Hakkaku's voice, as he and Ginta finally caught up. They were both out of breath. "Phew, we made it."

Kouga spared them a glance. "About time you two caught up."

Ginta wasn't listening to either one of them. His eyes were fixed on Rin. "Hey Hakkaku, isn't that kid…"

Hakkaku looked at Rin. "The girl that was with Sesshomaru."

"OH NO!" they cried together.

Kouga rolled his eyes. "Come on guys, we don't have time for this. We have to…" He trailed off as he caught the scent of the one he was searching for approaching. "She's coming."

He jumped over Kohaku and Rin's head, earning a scream from the latter. A moment later Sesshomaru and Kagura entered the clearing, with Jaken trailing behind, pulling along Ah-Un.

Kouga's eyes narrowed. "Well, well. Hello again, Kagura." He seethed.

Kagura looked surprised to see him, but she smiled afterwards. "Why, if it isn't Kouga. Long time no see."

"Shut up, wench!" Kouga cried. "It's time you paid for what you did to my pack."

Kagura raised an eyebrow. "You're still on about that?"

Kouga looked outraged. "Of course I am! I'm going to avenge my comrades!"

"Wasn't that why you were going after Naraku, to avenge your pack?"

"I am going to kill him. But it was you that killed my friends."

Rin found the courage to speak. "Mr. Wolf." She said carefully. Kouga turned his angry gaze on her, causing her to hide behind Kohaku. She still managed to finish what she wanted to say. "Kagura was forced to do kill your friends. Naraku made her do it. She never would have hurt anyone willingly."

"And is that supposed to justify her deeds?" Kouga demanded. "Is that supposed to avenge my pack?"

"Hey!" Kohaku snapped. "You will not raise your voice to her while I'm around!"

Kouga snorted. "Whatever. My business lies with her alone."

"Don't hold what I did against me." Said Kagura. "The only reason why I did what I did was because Naraku made me."

"You still did it!"

"I've changed. I was a different person back then.

"It makes no difference!"

Kohaku stepped forward. He wasn't going to let this wolf-demon bully the person he came to care for as a sister. "With all do respect, Kouga, doesn't this seem similar to what you said about killing Rin?"

Kouga looked confused for a moment, but the understanding crossed his face before anger took its place. "Well she is alive now. My pack mates are still dead. And it's that wind bitch's fault."

"Hey!" Kagura cried angrily. "Watch how you talk to me!"

Kouga growled. "You should be more worried about how I'm going to kill you."

He took a step forward, but stopped when Sesshomaru stepped in his way, unsheathing Toukijin.

"What's this?" Kouga demanded.

"Kagura is under my protection." Said Sesshomaru calmly. "You will not harm her."

Kouga growled. "She's Naraku's wench! His servant! Why are you protecting her?"

"Naraku forced her to do his bidding by threatening her life. She had no desire to work for him."

"It's true." Said Kohaku. "He tortured her whenever she disobeyed. All she wanted was to be free. The two of us worked together to stop him. We even found his heart and got Sesshomaru to destroy it, mostly."

Kouga growled again. "That still doesn't mean I can just forgive her."

Sesshomaru stepped forward. "Well, should you decide to attack, you shall have to deal with this Sesshomaru. I will not allow you to harm her."

Kagura and Jaken gave Sesshomaru looks of disbelief as he stood calmly in front of the wind-demon, ready to defend her. Kouga just glared at them all before shaking his head.

"Fine. Keep her. She's not worth my time anyway." He gave Kagura one last glare. "Just stay out of my way and we'll all be happy."

Kagura didn't reply. She was still staring at Sesshomaru as if she had never seen anything like him before.

"Ginta, Hakkaku, we're leaving."

With that said, Kouga was off, leaving a trail of dust behind. Ginta and Hakkaku groaned before giving chase. Once the wolf-demons were gone, Sesshomaru sheathed Toukijin.

"We are leaving." He said simply, as if nothing had happened.

As he calmly walked away, he was unaware of the thoughts going through his companions heads.

'_Sesshomaru protected me?'_

'_Sesshomaru protected her?'_

'_Milord protected that wench?'_

'_Yay! Lord Sesshomaru loves Lady Kagura too!'_

**(A/N: Wasn't that nice? Sesshomaru protected Kagura. Looks like he's becoming rather fond of the wind-demon. And speaking of becoming fond of people, Rin and Kohaku are getting pretty close. I really loved the part where Kohaku was comforting Rin when she was scared. And she saw right through his story. She knew he was the boy in the story. Isn't that cute. Next chapter is going to be a really good one. Naraku's newest incarnation makes an appearance.)**

_**Preview for chapter**__**: Sesshomaru and Kagura have some 'alone time' and start to bond, during which Sesshomaru's feelings for her start to reveal themselves. And then Naraku's newest incarnation shows up, going after Rin and Kohaku.**_


	7. Chapter 7: Byakuya

**(A/N: Hey howdy hey, what's happening ya'll? Hope you all had a good Christmas. I certainly did. Here's the next chapter, during which Naraku's newest incarnation will be revealed. Hope you like it.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 7: Byakuya**

He was getting tired of this useless searching. Where was the damn boy? He had to find him quickly; his own safety depended on it.

'_Naraku is getting impatient.'_ He thought. _'I had better find him fast.'_

His 'father' had been in a very bad mood lately, ever since Akago had died. His attitude only worsened when Kanna was unable to find the boy, whom Naraku said was called Kohaku.

According to his brother, Hakudōshi, this Kohaku was most likely with the dog-demon known as Sesshomaru. If not, then he was probably with the undead priestess, Kikyou, or Sesshomaru's half-brother, Inuyasha.

'_Inuyasha.'_ He thought. _'You're the one that is causing my master so much aggravation. You and your mate, Kagome. I'll look forward to killing all of you. And I'll take my time and do it slowly.'_

But first he had a demon slayer to kill and a jewel shard to recover.

'_This is going to be fun.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Lord Sesshomaru, can Rin go swimming?" the young girl asked. "Please."

Kagura held her fan over her eyes and looked up at the blazing sun. "A swim would feel good right now."

"I wouldn't mind a quick dip, milord." Said Jaken, agreeing with Rin and Kagura for once.

Even Ah-Un made a grunting noise in agreement.

Sesshomaru stopped walking. A nice bath did sound pleasant. "Very well, we will stay here for awhile."

"Yay!" cried Rin. "Come on, Kohaku!"

She ran towards the water and jumped in fully clothed, not caring if she got her garments wet. She stayed under for about 30 seconds before she came up laughing, her wet hair covering her face. She moved her dark locks aside and looked at the others still on dry land.

"Come in, everyone! The water feels nice!"

Kagura smirked. "I think I'll find my own spot to bathe." She glanced at the boy next to her. "But I'm sure Kohaku would like to play with you."

Kohaku blushed and looked at Kagura like she was crazy. "I would?"

She pushed him forward. "Yes, you would."

Realizing how close he was to the water, Rin splashed Kohaku. "There, you're wet now too! Come play with Rin!"

Kohaku was blushing madly. Kagura rolled her eyes. He was so shy. She decided to give him at little push. She let out a small puff of breath, which turned into a mighty gust of wind, blowing Kohaku into the water. He came up, spitting out a mouthful of water and gasping down air.

"Hey!" he shouted angrily.

Rin suddenly jumped on his back, laughing happily. "You're funny, Kohaku."

Kagura snickered. _'Well, it looks like my work here is done. Time for some rest and relaxation.'_

Jaken eyed the retreating Kagura suspiciously. "What is she up to?"

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to sigh. "Jaken, you are blind." He said. He knew exactly what the wind-demon was doing, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He decided that he should have a talk with her. "Jaken, keep your eye on everyone."

Jaken groaned. "But I was hoping to go for a soak."

Sesshomaru gave him a look before kicking him right into the water.

"Soak all you want." He said, before heading in the direction Kagura had gone in.

Jaken floated to the surface, spitting out a stream of water. _'This isn't exactly what I had in mind.'_

Sesshomaru continued to walk in Kagura's direction until he saw her clothes hanging over a tree branch. A moment later he saw her completely nude form sink into the water. Sesshomaru's heart sped up. It was really rare for someone to get _his_ heart to start racing. A gasp even escaped his lips at the sight of her. Never had a woman ever made him react this way. His demon side demanded him to charge over to her now and take her right then and there, but his rational side kept him in check.

"You going to stand there all day?" Kagura asked. She was resting in the water with her back to him, leaning against a rock, but had known he was there. She had heard and smelled him. All of him; including his arousal. It made her smirk, knowing that she could get that type of reaction out of him.

With great difficulty, Sesshomaru turned away and went over to a nearby secluded area where he stripped and settled into the water. He took a deep breath, trying to maintain control. The sight of Kagura's naked backside was stirring up emotions and desires within him. True, he had seen her topless before when he had pulled her out of the river after she received a severe wound, but the situation had been too serious at the time to think about anything else, and he had also been considerate enough not to look at her chest.

But now, with just the two of them in this secluded area, she was doing things to him that was making it difficult to control himself. He closed his closed his eyes, willing away these thoughts and emotions. He decided to distract himself by having the conversation he had originaly come here to have with her.

"I know what you're trying to do?"

Kagura smiled. There were several things she was trying to do. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"You know what this Sesshomaru speaks of."

"Care to elaborate?"

"With Rin and Kohaku."

Kagura rolled her eyes. Of course, he was avoiding the situation going on between him and her. She could smell his arousal, and she knew he was trying to control himself. He didn't like not being in control.

'_I wouldn't mind him controlling me.'_ She thought naughtily. "I am simply bringing them closer together. I think they make a cute couple."

"Rin is but a child."

Kagura snickered. "I'm not trying to get them to do anything like _that_. But you can't deny the fact that they like each other. And I _don't_ mean only as friends." This made Sesshomaru growl, causing Kagura to snicker again. "I see that you're playing the role as the overprotective father. But trust me, Kohaku is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. And he's very strong. He is fully capable of protecting her when necessary."

"This Sesshomaru is well aware of the boy's nature and abilities."

"Then what's the problem? Why does he not meet your approval?"

Sesshomaru paused as he tried to think of an answer. "Rin is young."

Kagura shrugged. "As is Kohaku. And I told you, I'm not trying to get them to be intimate or anything, at least not for a few more years. So what are you worried about? Are you afraid you're going to lose her?"

Sesshomaru didn't reply. Kagura smiled. "Ah, the fear all father's have of losing their daughter. Well first off, that won't happen for at least 9 years. Second of all, Rin is definitely the type of person to want a family of her own some day, as is Kohaku. The two of them are perfect for each other. There is no way you could ever stop that, and I think deep down that you intend to let her find a husband."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes. "Yes, some day." He agreed quietly.

"Third of all," Kagura continued, "when she does find someone to be with, you won't _lose her_, you'll _gain_ a son-in-law." She paused, waiting for him to say something. "So, how do you feel now?"

Sesshomaru grumbled. "This Sesshomaru needs to think." He said.

"Throw it again, Master Jaken!" Rin cried.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Jaken groaned, looking at the rock in his hand. Rin and Kohaku were playing this game where Jaken threw this rock, counted to 10, then Kohaku and Rin would try to get it from underwater first. Kohaku won mostly, being a faster and stronger swimming, but Rin won a few times, not counting the ones that Kohaku let her win.

"Fine, but this is the last time!" Jaken yelled for the 100th time.

He tossed the rock and counted. Rin quickly dove under to find it while Kohaku gave her a head start. He still ended up beating her.

"Throw it again, Master Jaken!"

"No more!" Jaken shouted. "I want some time to rest as well."

"Ok." Said Rin. She turned to Kohaku. "Hey Kohaku, lets see how far we can swim underwater before we need to come up for air."

Kohaku shrugged. "Sure."

"Rin will go first!"

She dove under and began swimming away. Kohaku watched in amusement as she got much farther than he had thought she would before finally surfacing.

"How'd Rin do?" she asked.

"Very good!" he called back.

"You're turn. And don't try and let Rin win again."

He turned red with embarrassment. _'So, she found me out.'_ "Ok, I won't." he said and dove under.

He managed to swim twice the distance she did, finally resurfacing several feet away from her spot. Once he surfaced, Rin paddled over to him, smiling.

"Wow, Kohaku, you went far!"

He blushed and smiled at her. "You went far too."

Rin smiled and sank under until her mouth was below the surface and she began blowing bubbles. Kohaku chuckled at her playfulness. He glanced back at the direction they had swam in and saw Jaken asleep.

"I think we wore Jaken out." He said.

Rin looked at the toad-demon and giggled. Then she noticed the sound of rushing water.

"Kohaku, you hear that?"

"Hmm? Hear what?

"This way."

He swam after her until they reached what had caught Rin's attention. This one area had a rock formation that made a natural waterslide.

"Ooh, this looks like fun!" Rin cried. "Let's ride it!"

Kohaku hesitated. "Rin, I don't think we should."

"Please."

She gave him that pleading look. How could he say no to that? He sighed in defeat. "Ok, you win."

"Yay! Rin goes first!"

"Fine, just watch out for rocks."

"Rin will!"

She went down the 'waterslide', squealing happily the whole way down. Kohaku waited until she was far enough ahead before he began to slide down it as well. It was very long, much longer than either of them thought. And at the end, there was a sudden drop into a larger and deeper body of water. The two splashed down into it and came up laughing.

"That was fun!" said Kohaku.

"Let's do it again!" cried Rin.

They swam to land and looked up at the rock structure they had slid down. It was much longer than they had expected. How far had they gone? Oh well, it didn't really matter. Once they found a way back up, they could just follow the running water back to Jaken.

"Kohaku, look." Said Rin, pointing to something in the sky. "Is that Lady Kagura?"

He put his hand above over his head to shade his eyes from the light as he looked at what Rin was pointing at. At first he thought it was Kagura, but quickly changed his mind as whoever or whatever it was got closer.

"Rin, we've got to-"

Rin never found out what they had to do, because whatever it was they had spotted had suddenly swooped down at them, nearly crashing into them. He stopped a short distance away and turned to face them. Whoever they were, they were riding an origami paper crane, which he was using to fly. He hopped off, and the paper bird shrank, which he then put into his robes.

"Well, look what we have here." he said.

Kohaku looked at him and gasped. No wonder he and Rin had mistaken him for Kagura. He looked like a male version of the wind-demon. He was clearly a demon himself, though Kohaku couldn't tell what kind, but he had a sinking feeling that he knew where this demon came from. Or, more specifically, _who_ it came from.

"Kohaku, who is he?" asked Rin fearfully. "He looks like Lady Kagura."

The demon smiled. "Ah, you know Kagura. Or should I say _knew."_ He chuckled, turning his gaze on Kohaku. "And you're Kohaku, the little runaway. That means, you're Rin, Sesshomaru's ward. How nice to meet you. I've been searching for you for several days now. You're not an easy person to find."

Kohaku growled and took a step back, making sure to keep Rin behind him. "Why were you looking for us?" he demanded, wishing he had his sickle. How could he leave it behind? True he was a skilled fighter, but that sword that the demon had looked deadly.

The demon reached into his robes and pulled out a lotus flower, which he held to his nose and sniffed, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the smell. "Just following orders."

Kohaku's eyes narrowed. "Whose orders?"

"My master's. You have something that belongs to him, and I'm here to retrieve it." His eyes snapped open. "Now give me the sacred jewel shard!"

He pointed the flower at them and a stream of flames shot out of it. Kohaku grabbed Rin and pulled her to the ground as the flames flew over them. Kohaku made sure to shield her from the heat.

When the flames finally stopped, the demon chuckled. "You've got quick reflexes, boy." He said, putting the flower back in his robes. "But I'm afraid that my master is getting rather impatient. So let's make this quick."

He snapped his fingers and several vines burst out of the ground. Kohaku quickly pushed Rin out of the way before he was ensnared by them, binding him tightly.

"Oh no, Kohaku!" Rin cried.

She ran over to the vines and began tugging at them, but her efforts were in vain. Several of the vines began making their way towards her. She yelped and jumped away when they began to wrap around her.

"R-Rin…" Kohaku moaned, struggling to breathe due to the tightness of his bindings. "Get… get out of… here…"

Rin looked up at him fearfully. "But what about you?"

"Don't wor-worry about… about me… Just go…"

Rin's bottom lip trembled as tears weld up in her eyes. "I'll get Lord Sesshomaru!" she cried, and took off.

The demon just chuckled. "You're not going anywhere."

He waved his hand, casting his spell. A fog appeared around Rin, so deep that she couldn't see.

"Wha…" she mumbled.

She jumped as a growl came from within the fog. Her eyes widened as she saw her worst fear. Wolves were coming out of the fog, surrounding her on all sides. They were growling and snapping their jaws, ready to attack.

Rin began trembling in fear as she fell to her knees. "No, please not that." She whispered fearfully.

The demon smirked as he watched her cower in fear. He turned his red eyes back to Kohaku. "It appears that she has fallen prey to my illusion."

Kohaku struggled to breathe as the vines wrapped tightly around his neck. "I-Illusion?" His eyes widened in realization. "Rin, it's… not r-real… It's ju-"

He was cut off as the vines wrapped around his mouth. The demon shook his finger at him while shaking his head and making a 'tsk, tsk' noise.

"Now don't spoil the fun." He said. "We're just getting started. But I'll take care of you first, then take my time with the girl."

The vines lifted Kohaku off the ground, bringing him right up to the demon's face. The demon smirked and Kohaku glared back. The vines just tightened.

"It's not smart to defy the one that has you at his mercy." Said the demon. "I could kill you very easily. All I have to do is remove the jewel shard in your back," he reached behind Kohaku, "and you'll join your father in the other world like you should have long ago."

Unaware of what was happening between Kohaku and the demon, Rin continued to cower in fear. When she realized that the wolves hadn't attacked next, she risked a peek. Big mistake. A wolf was right in front of her, less than a foot away, fangs bared.

She screamed and jumped back. When she looked up again, something else was walking through the fog. Relief hit her when she saw that it was Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru, help!" she cried.

Sesshomaru looked at Rin and then at the wolves. "Rin, calm yourself. They are not real. They're merely an illusion."

To prove his point, he kicked one. His foot went right through it. Not wasting anymore time on the phony wolves, he turned his attention to Kohaku and the demon that dared to attack his companions.

The demon's hand had just fallen on the place where Kohaku's jewel shard was when Sesshomaru's energy whip struck his hand.

"What the hell?" he growled. He looked in the direction the whip had come in and smiled when he saw who it was. "Ah, Sesshomaru. I was wondering where you were."

Sesshomaru fixed the demon with his cold stare. "Release the boy." He ordered.

The demon just laughed. "I have a better idea. How about I wrap you up."

He pointed at the demon lord and several vines flew towards him. In an instant, Sesshomaru whipped out Toukijin. With one swipe he cut through the approaching vines. A purple mist escaped the cut vines, a miasma.

"Ah, ah, ah." The demon mocked. "You don't want to cut my vines."

"Well I do!"

The demon turned in the direction the voice came from to find several blades of wind flying at him. He quickly jumped aside, avoiding the attack. But the blades of wind cut through the vines binding Kohaku, freeing him. Miasma escaped from the vines, but Kohaku was able to get away from the toxic cloud before it harmed him.

Now that Kohaku was free, Kagura waved her fan again, blowing away the miasma. She smirked before her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as she saw the demon.

'_He looks… like me…'_

The demon looked just as surprised to see Kagura as she was to see him. "Kagura?" he exclaimed.

Kagura got over her surprise and glared at the demon. "How do you know me? Who are you?"

The demon managed to get over his own surprise and smiled. "I thought you were dead. I guess I was wrong."

"Who are you?" Kagura asked again.

The demon snickered. "My name is Mugen no Byakuya. And I am your brother."

"Brother?" Kagura repeated. Her eyes widened. "No."

"Yes, dear sister. I am Naraku's latest incarnation. He created me to replace you. I guess you can call the two of us twins, though we weren't born on the same day."

Kagura took a step back. _'He'll tell Naraku that I'm still alive.'_

Byakuya glanced at Sesshomaru. "So, you're traveling with the Lord of the Western Lands." He looked at Kohaku. "Both of you are. I guess Hakudōshi was right. I wonder how he and Naraku will react when they find out you're alive, Kagura."

Kagura growled. "You're not telling them anything! Dance of Blades!"

Byakuya whipped out his Lotus flower and unleashed its flames. Kagura's wind attack only increased the flames. Kagura gasped and sped out of the way of the stream of fire. Sesshomaru reacted immediately, charging at Byakuya. Toukijin sliced right through him. But something was wrong. Byakuya hadn't even tried to avoid the attack. He let Sesshomaru cut through him while smiling the whole time.

Sesshomaru became confused as Byakuya faded away. _'What is this trickery?'_

That was when he realized that it _was_ a trick. It was one of Byakuya's illusions again.

"Looking for me?"

Sesshomaru turned around and saw, not one, but _three_ Byakuyas. He wasn't fooled though. He knew that two of them were illusions.

"What are you going to do now?" asked the three Byakuyas.

Sesshomaru didn't respond. Instead he unleashed his sword's power, striking down all three Byakuyas at once. They were all fake.

Byakuya could be heard laughing, though he was nowhere to be seen. "Am I proving too much for the Lord of the Western Lands?"

Sesshomaru growled. "You will not make a fool of this Sesshomaru."

He decided not to rely on his eyes and use his nose instead. No illusion could fool his sense of smell. It didn't take long for him to find Byakuya's scent. He was standing a few feet away, creating an illusion of the area around him to give himself invisibility.

Sesshomaru unleashed Toukijin's power. Byakuya dropped his illusion and jumped out of the way. He looked impressed. "Very clever, Sesshomaru, but you'll need more than a good sense of smell to defeat me."

"How about I join in?" said Kagura, unleashing her Dance of Blades.

Byakuya spared her a glance before he produced a barrier around himself, blocking the attack. "Sorry, sister, but you'll need more than that to defeat me."

Kagura growled. "Fine, try this! Dance of the Dragon!"

Her attack did nothing against Byakuya's barrier. He smirked at her and shook his head. "Pathetic."

He reached behind himself. At first Kagura thought he was going for his sword, but instead he retrieved a gourd that he was carrying on his back. He pointed it at Kagura and grinned evilly.

"Try this." he said.

A swarm of snakes flew out of the gourd. Kagura gasped and unleashed her Dance of Blades, slicing the snakes to pieces. But more just kept coming.

"How long can you keep this up, sister?" Byakuya asked, grinning.

His smirk immediately vanished as he gasped in shock and pain. Toukijin was sticking out of his chest. Sesshomaru had managed to get through his barrier.

"You should never have taken your eyes off this Sesshomaru." The demon lord said.

With great effort, Byakuya pulled himself off the sword. He turned to Sesshomaru, glaring at him defiantly. "You win this round, Sesshomaru."

He reached into his robes and retrieved the paper crane, which grew large enough for him to ride on. And he did just that, flying away.

"You will not escape!" Sesshomaru declared angrily.

He launched another attack, but Byakuya was too far up to hit.

"Get on!" cried Kagura, flying over to him on her feather. "We can still catch him!"

Sesshomaru immediately leapt onto Kagura's feather and the two were off. But Byakuya knew they were following him. He growled in irritation, waving his hand to create an illusion. Several copies of him appeared as the illusion of dark clouds formed. The copies vanished within them. A moment later, flames shot out of the illusion at Sesshomaru and Kagura. They lost his scent, due to the flames' burning smell.

Kagura stopped her feather. "Damn, he got away." She growled. "He'll give me away to Naraku."

Sesshomaru's narrowed eyes were the only indication that he cared. "Do not worry yourself over him. Neither he nor Naraku will bring harm to you. This Sesshomaru will see to that."

Kagura couldn't help but smile. "It's nice to know you care." She said, glad for the illusion of the clouds to hide her blush.

**(A/N: Well, that ends this chapter. Hope you liked it. Just so you know, I did **_**not**_** make up Byakuya. He is a manga only character that doesn't appear in the anime, and he does specialize in illusions, and the techniques he used are his real ones. You can look him up on wikipedia for more information on him. Anyway, leave me your reviews and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Naraku finds out from Byakuya that Kagura is still alive and isn't happy about it. Sesshomaru has another talk with Kohaku, this time about his relationship with Rin. Kagura has the same conversation with Rin about Kohaku.**_


	8. Chapter 8: Confessions

**(A/N: I really like this chapter, especially the second half; it's so cute. As the chapter title explains, there is a bit of confessing in this chapter, and I do mean about feelings.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 8: Confessions**

Naraku continued with his planning. The loss of Akago really sent a message to him. He wasn't as invincible as he had originally thought. He thought that he could keep Akago safe, but he hadn't been able to. It was all Kagura and Kohaku's fault.

Naraku clenched his fists as he tried to control his fury. _'Damn them! I can't believe I allowed Kohaku to deceive me like that, and I should have killed Kagura long ago. Now I have to be extra careful. Hakud__ō__shi is the only thing keeping me from death. Should he be destroyed, I will be as vulnerable as any other demon.'_ He looked at Hakudōshi, Kanna, and Mōryōmaru. _'But it won't matter. Soon my heart will be protected in a way so that I will no longer have to worry.'_

"Naraku." Kanna whispered, interrupting his thoughts.

He turned his angry red eyes on his daughter. "What is it?"

"Byakuya approaches."

Finally some good news. "Excellent. That means that Kohaku is dead, and the jewel shard is in my possession once again."

A few minutes later, Byakuya flew in on his paper crane. He was clutching his chest, where a bloody stain remained on his shirt.

Hakudōshi chuckled. "Looks like you had a bit of trouble."

Byakuya glared at his brother, looking at him with only his right eye since the left was closed. "You think?"

"Yes, I do. So tell me, was Kohaku with Sesshomaru?"

Byakuya nodded. "He was. And he wasn't the only one. Kagura was with them."

He couldn't help but smile at the looks on Naraku and Hakudōshi's faces.

"Impossible." Naraku snarled. "I crushed her heart in my hand."

"She couldn't have survived." Hakudōshi insisted.

Byakuya shrugged. "She was certainly alive when I fought her."

Naraku growled. _'It's not possible. How could she have…'_ His eyes widened as he figured it out. "Tenseiga!"

Byukuya raised an eyebrow. "Tenseiga?"

"Sesshomaru's sword of healing." Said Kanna quietly. "He uses it to resurrect the dead."

"He must have used it on Kagura." Said Hakudōshi.

Naraku was really struggling to control his temper, but he supposed that there was a bright side to this. "Then I will just have to kill her again. And this time I will make her suffer. Kanna, perhaps I'll even have you imprison her soul in your mirror; after all, one of the things Kagura hates the most is lack of freedom. But I will deal with her later. First things first, Byakuya, give me the jewel shard."

Byakuya shook his head. "Sorry, Naraku, but I was unprepared for Kagura's presence. She distracted me long enough for Sesshomaru to give me this wound. I had to retreat for the time being."

Ok, now Naraku was really mad. "So you're telling me, that after all this time of searching, you finally found them, and you let them escape."

"How long is it going to take to find them again?" asked Hakudōshi, sounding bored and annoyed.

"Oh, don't worry." Said Byakuya. "I'll be able to find them again much easier than last time."

Hakudōshi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and how are you going to do that?"

Byakuya chuckled, opening his left eye. It was not in its socket. "I'm keeping my eye on them."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kohaku woke early the next morning, and carefully unlatched his arm from Rin's grasp; she always slept by him.

"Kohaku…" she muttered in her sleep.

He froze for a moment, sparing her a glance before he quietly made his way to another area. Taking a look around, he decided that this would be a good place to practice. He had been getting up extra early the past few days. After their little run in with Byakuya, Kohaku was determine to get better so he would be ready the next time they met. And he knew that they would meet again.

A scowl crossed over Kohaku's face as he remembered the amused look on Byakuya's face as he had terrorized Rin. How _dare_ that monster do such a thing! Kohaku swore to make him pay. He would _never_ allow harm to come to Rin.

He threw the sickle, slicing through several trees. He made such clean cuts that the trees actually stayed in place for a few seconds before falling. His sickle had already returned to him and shot back out several times before the first trees even hit the ground. His movements were so swift that they were nearly invisible to the human eye.

He was good. Very good, but he knew he could do better. There was _always_ room for improvement. And he would need to improve if he were to fight Byakuya again.

Byakuya. There was something different about this demon. He wasn't like Naraku's other incarnations. Kohaku couldn't put his finger on it, but somehow this demon was in a class of his own.

He tossed out his sickle again and was surprised to hear metal hit metal. After he got over his surprise, he realized that Sesshomaru had blocked his sickle with Toukijin.

"Sesshomaru?" he said in surprise.

"Your skills are very good." Said Sesshomaru emotionlessly. "As a human, you have impressed me. But you can be better."

Kohaku nodded. "I intend to be."

"A wise decision." He swung Toukijin. "Try and strike me."

Kohaku looked surprised. "Excuse me."

"Strike me." The demon lord repeated. "If you can."

Kohaku prepared to throw his sickle. "You sure?"

"Do not make this Sesshomaru repeat himself."

Kohaku gulped and threw the sickle. Sesshomaru easily deflected it. Kohaku was shocked. He had barely seen the dog-demon move.

"Do not stop." Said Sesshomaru. "Proceed to attack."

Kohaku knew he didn't need to ask the demon lord if he was sure again. He continued attacking and Sesshomaru kept blocking. It went on for over two hours before a difference in the pattern changed. When Kohaku had thrown his sickle, Sesshomaru had still blocked it. But he didn't block properly. The sickle bounced off Toukijin and nearly hit Sesshomaru in the face, but he had managed to dodge the blade.

"Enough." He said.

Kohaku stopped attacking. He was grateful for the pause. He was tired and sweaty while Sesshomaru wasn't even breathing hard.

"You did well." He said.

Kohaku didn't answer right away. He was too surprised by the demon lord complimenting him. He didn't even know _why_ he was complimenting him.

"I didn't land a single blow."

"This Sesshomaru did not expect you to."

Kohaku couldn't help but smile. "I guess. I'm nowhere near your level of power."

"A human should not expect to be as powerful as a demon."

"Yeah, especially you." said Kohaku. "Naraku even said that you're the perfect demon. That was why he tried to absorb you."

"He cannot absorb me." Sesshomaru assured him.

Kohaku nodded. "I know." he replied. "He was furious when he couldn't. That's why he…"

When he didn't continue Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "He what?" Kohaku didn't reply. "Kohaku, what did he do?"

The demon slayer sighed. "That was when he tried to make me kill Rin. He was hoping that if I killed her that you would kill me."

"For what purpose would he want this Sesshomaru to kill you? I was aware of what he wanted, but unsure of the reason for it."

Kohaku reached back and felt the sacred jewel shard in his back. "Because if you killed me out of anger, the sacred jewel shard in my back would have been tainted by malice."

So that was the reason. Sesshomaru had always wondered why Naraku wanted him to kill his own servant, but had never been able to figure it out. _'Naraku, how despicable you are to sacrifice others for such a purpose. I will destroy you.'_

"He punished me and Kagura for failing." Continued Kohaku, bringing Sesshomaru out of his thoughts. "He cares for his followers as much as his enemies."

Sesshomaru's anger began stirring. "You say you were punished. What did Naraku do?"

Kohaku winced. "He didn't punish me physically. He made me feel all the guilt and pain I felt from killing my friends and family. Then he would wipe away the memories again, but it still left me emotionally hurt." He sighed. "Kagura had it worse though. He would put her in chains and torture her. He did it a lot."

Sesshomaru's claws dug into his hand and for a brief moment his eyes flickered with red. How dare that despicable half-breed torture Kagura! He would make him pay for what he did.

"Rest assure, Naraku will die by my hand." He said. "This Sesshomaru will personally kill him."

Kohaku gave the dog-demon a curious look. "Hey, Sesshomaru, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you after Naraku. I mean, I know you're after him because he had Rin abducted and he attacked you, but you were after him before then, weren't you?"

"I was."

"Why? What happened?"

Sesshomaru considered telling the boy what happened. He saw no harm in it. "I once sought to possess the Tetsusaiga. But the barrier around it prevents me from touching it. After I lost my arm, Naraku came to me, offering me a human arm with a shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded within it. He told me that with this arm I would be able to hold Tetsusaiga. In return, he wanted me to kill Inuyasha.

"Even with this new arms, I was unable to take Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha. It was then that the human arm I was using burst into flames, threatening to burn me to death. But I removed the arm in time. When I returned to Naraku, he confessed to trying to kill me. His intention had been to use me to destroy Inuyasha and then burn me to death so that he may reclaim the jewel shard. He intended to use and kill this Sesshomaru. Such an act can not go unpunished."

Kohaku nodded. It also suddenly registered to him that this was the most he had ever heard Sesshomaru talk. Was the demon lord warming up to him?

"Well, thank you for training with me." He said. "And for everything else you've done."

Sesshomaru suddenly made direct eye contact with him. Kohaku was surprised at the amount of seriousness he saw in those yellow eyes.

"Rin seems to be very fond of you."

Kohaku blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected the demon lord to say anything like that. "Um, yeah, I guess." He said, blushing. "She's a very sweet girl, and a good friend."

"Just a friend?"

Kohaku blushed some more. This was very awkward. "Y-Yes, just friends."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Do not lie to this Sesshomaru. You're feelings run much deeper than friendship." _'For both of you.'_ "What are your feelings towards her?"

"I… I…" Why was he being confronted like this? "I care for her… a lot."

"As a friend?" asked Sesshomaru. "As family? Or are you harboring _other_ feelings?"

Kohaku gulped. He knew what Sesshomaru meant when he said 'other feelings'. And he was afraid to answer. But the look Sesshomaru was giving him told him that he had no choice but to answer, and truthfully.

"O-Other…" he said, blushing.

Sesshomaru's expression gave away nothing. "She is special to you?"

Kohaku nodded. "Very."

"How much do you care for her?"

"I…" He couldn't find words for it. "I can't describe it. I care for her as much as I do for my sister, though my feelings for her are different. I'll do anything for Rin."

He _really_ wished Sesshomaru would stop looking at him like that. It was making him so uncomfortable. What the demon lord said next shocked him.

"Do you desire her as a mate?"

Kohaku's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. "Wh-What? I… we… we're too young for that. I mean, I'm only 12 and she's 8. It's too soon to consider that… But, someday…" He blushed again. Why did he keep doing that? "I could definitely see spending the rest of my life with Rin, although I know I don't deserve someone like her."

"That is up to her." _'And me.'_ "You will protect her?"

Kohaku nodded. "With my life."

"But would you die for her?"

"Without hesitation."

The two stared at each other. Kohaku was becoming more and more uncomfortable under his gaze. Finally the demon lord turned away.

"Very well, you have this Sesshomaru's blessings."

He turned and walked away, leaving a stunned and confused Kohaku behind.

'_I have his blessings? What does he mean?'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Rin hummed happily to herself as she continued to string together the flowers she had picked. Kagura walked over to her curiously and sat down beside her.

"What are you working on, Rin?" she asked.

Rin smiled and showed Kagura what she was doing. "It's a present for Kohaku. Rin is making him a crown of flowers. Rin hopes he'll like it."

Kagura chuckled. "I'm sure he'll like anything you give him. He really likes you, you know."

Rin blushed and looked at the ground. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, he like likes you a lot." Kagura smirked. "And I think you like him a lot too."

Rin blushed some more. "Mm hmm." She muttered, nodding.

Kagura's amusement grew. "Do you love him?"

If it were possible for Rin to blush any harder, she did. She didn't answer Kagura's question, though. Instead she just smiled and giggled, her eyes shining with happiness.

Jaken, who happened to overhear their conversation, snorted. "Please, Rin is but a child. She can't possibly fall in love."

Kagura glared at him. "No one asked you."

Rin frowned at Jaken's words. "Master Jaken, don't you know that love knows no bonds."

Jaken rolled his eyes. "So what, you're saying you _do_ love him?"

"It's none of your business!" Kagura snapped, waving her fan, causing Jaken to be blown away.

Embarrassed, Rin buried her face in Kagura's kimono, but she had a smile on her face. Kagura smiled down at her and gentle stroked the girl's hair.

"Lady Kagura, do you think Rin is too young to fall in love?"

Kagura just smiled. "There are all kinds of love Rin. There's romantic love, there's friendly love, there's family love-"

"But Rin doesn't love Kohaku like a family or just as a friend." The girl said. "What does Rin feel?"

Kagura chuckled. "Well, right now what you're feeling would be childhood love. But one day that will change to a romantic love. You'll feel different about the one you love and you'll want to do different things."

"Like what?"

Kagura stopped stroking Rin's hair for a moment. There was no way she was getting into _that_ conversation. "I'll tell you when you're older. You're still too young to feel those kinds of things yet."

"What things?"

"Adult things, Rin."

What Rin said next really surprised Kagura. "Is that how you feel about Lord Sesshomaru?"

Kagura tensed, giving the girl a surprised look. She certainly was a curious little thing. Kagura didn't really feel the need to hide it from her since Rin obviously knew how Kagura felt.

"Yes, Rin. That is how I feel."

Rin finally took her face out of Kagura's kimono. "Are you and Lord Sesshomaru going to get married?"

Kagura gasped in shock. She almost regretted getting into this conversation. "Well Rin, first of all, demons don't get married. They become mates. Humans get married."

Rin cocked her head to the side curiously. "What's the difference?"

Kagura considered her next words carefully. There was no way she was going to tell the entire way demons became mates. "Well, for the most part, the two demons mark each other."

"Mark each other?"

Kagura nodded. "Yes. When demons become mates, they mark each other, which permanently bonds them to each other, body and soul forever. Unlike human marriages, demon matings are permanent, they can't be broken."

"Eternal love!" cried Rin happily. "Are you and Lord Sesshomaru going to become mates? Rin knows you love Lord Sesshomaru, you even told Rin! And Rin knows that Lord Sesshomaru loves you!"

Kagura sighed. "Rin, I don't know how you see things, but I don't think Sesshomaru likes me like that."

That wasn't exactly true. Kagura knew that Sesshomaru harbored some feelings for her, not to mention he desired her. She had smelled his arousal at times and caught him stealing glances at her. She just didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Of course he does!" Rin cried. "Rin knows. Lord Sesshomaru tries to hide his feelings, but Rin can tell. Lord Sesshomaru loves you!"

Kagura just sighed again. "If you say so." She said, telling the girl what she wanted to hear.

"Yay! Rin is so happy for you and Lord Sesshomaru! You two are going to get married! And when Rin grows up, she's going to marry Kohaku!"

Kagura laughed. "Rin, you can't decide that on your own."

"Rin knows. But Rin will make Kohaku fall in love with her. And then we'll be married and live happily ever after!"

Kagura chuckled. "You two would be so cute together." An evil look passed over her face. "Do you want to kiss him?"

Rin turned beet red. "Lady Kagura, you're embarrassing Rin!"

"I'm not hearing a no."

"A no what?"

The two women looked up as Sesshomaru and Kohaku returned. It had been Kohaku that asked the question.

"What aren't you hearing a no to?" he asked again, curiously.

Kagura just waved it off as Rin continued to blush. "Nothing, just girl talk."

Rin got up and walked over to Kohaku. "Look Kohaku, look what Rin made for you!" She placed the crown of flowers on his head, giggling.

"Uh, thanks Rin."

Rin giggled again. "Come play with Rin!"

She pulled on his arm, taking him to play in one of her childish games again. Kohaku went willingly, with a smile on his face.

Sesshomaru glanced at Kagura once the two children were out of hearing range. "What were the two of you discussing?"

Kagura smirked. "Probably the same thing you were talking to Kohaku about. So, how did your little chit-chat with the boy go?"

Sesshomaru turned away, looking in the direction Rin and Kohaku had gone off in. "The boy harbors deep feelings for her."

Kagura smiled. "Well, as you guessed, I spoke to Rin on the same subject. The feeling's mutual. The bond they share is very special. It's only going to grow as time goes on." She smiled. "They may be young, but that means that their love is pure and true. There is not yet a physical attraction between them, yet their feelings run deep. That will change when they mature, they will come to desire each other physically as well as emotionally."

Sesshomaru growled. He may have given Kohaku his blessings, but no father enjoyed the thought of their daughter getting 'physical' with a man, and Sesshomaru was no exception, even though Rin wasn't technically his daughter.

Kagura looked right at Sesshomaru, curious to see his reaction when she told him what else she discovered. "Rin wants to marry him when she grows up."

She waited for a reaction, certain that even Sesshomaru would react, but surprisingly, when Sesshomaru turned to face her, she got none. "Then this Sesshomaru will see that this happens."

Kagura was left speechless.

High above them, hidden from their eyes and noses, a red eye watched them, a flicker of amusement in them.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Far away in Naraku's fortress, Byakuya smirked. He had seen everything that had happened and it amused him greatly. Hakudōshi noticed his brother's smirk and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Care to tell me what's so amusing?" he asked.

Byakuya chuckled. "Well, brother, it seems that our dear sister has fallen in love with the Inuyasha's older brother."

"Sesshomaru?" said Hakudōshi. "My, that is interesting."

"Not really." Said Kanna. "Kagura has been having feelings for Sesshomaru for a long time now. Those feelings have indeed turned into love."

"She's not the only one to find love." Said Byakuya. "Our little demon slayer and Sesshomaru's ward have fallen for each other as well."

Hakudōshi chuckled. "It seems that love is in the air."

Byakuya nodded in agreement. "Yes, this will make things interesting." He snickered at all the ways he could use their feelings as a weakness. "Very interesting."

**(A/N: In case you don't know, Byakuya does have the ability to remove pieces of his body in the manga, so I didn't make that up, and is fully capable of spying on people the way he is. Aside from that, how did you like this chapter? Sesshomaru approves of Kohaku, for now anyway, and Kagura got a confession from Rin, and vice versa. How will this affect everyone, and what will they do? Only one way to find out. Stay tuned. Oh, and your fee for this chapter is a review. See ya next time.)**

_**Preview for next chapter****: Sesshomaru starts to lose control over his emotions as he ponders on his feelings for Kagura. The group also arrives at Naraku's former fortress and tries to find out where he's gone.**_


	9. Chapter 9: Emotions

**(A/N: Lime alert! Lime alert! The beginning of this chapter has a rather sexual scene in it. I tried to keep it PG-13, but I just thought I'd warn you in case anyone is uncomfortable with such things. If so, just skip the italicized part.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 9: Emotions**

_Sesshomaru bathed under the falls, letting the water sooth him. The pressure the falls applied to his body felt good, and the sound of the waterfall and flowing water relaxed him greatly. He had been stressed out lately. So many things had happened. Kagura and Kohaku had joined his party, half of Naraku's heart was destroyed, he had a new enemy, his ward, who was too young, was falling for Kohaku, and Kagura… well, Kagura was doing things to him that drove him crazy without her even realizing that she was doing it._

_As Sesshomaru pondered on all of this, a familiar alluring scent hit his nose._ 'Well speak of the devil.' _Kagura was approaching. He smelled her unique scent mixed in with Naraku's stench that he left upon her when he created her. But even with the smell of that despicable half-demon on her, Sesshomaru found her scent intoxicating. And based upon how close her scent was, he knew that she was right behind him._

_He turned to face her, his long white hair being the only thing to hide his nudity. Kagura was watching him with admiration, and there was a hungry lustful look in her eyes. She smiled seductively at him and stepped closer as she let down her glossy black hair._

"_Kagura?" he said quietly._

_She placed her finger on his lips to silence him._ _"_Shh._"_

_Sesshomaru's eyes widened as Kagura reached up and removed her kimono, letting it pool around her feet. He felt his heart rate increase as he looked at Kagura's gorgeous body. Kagura chuckled and stepped under the falls with him and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him in for a passionate kiss._

_Sesshomaru could resist no longer as he gave into the desires that had been plaguing him for the past couple of weeks. He crushed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue into her mouth. Kagura responded to his kiss as he explored her hot wet cavern, their tongues battling for dominance._

_The need for air eventually overcame them and they were forced to come apart. Sesshomaru began planting kisses along her jawbone until he reached her neck. Kagura moaned in pleasure and tilted her head back to give him better access._

"_Sesshomaru…" she sighed as he sucked on the sensitive part of her neck._

_His hand traveled over her body, caressing and massaging her. He pulled her against him, wanting to feel as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. She rubbed up against him, driving him insane with need. He had to have her, and he would. But not yet, he wasn't done with foreplay._

_He turned her around and pulled her against him as his remaining arm across her chest held her close. She melted against him, reaching over her shoulder to hold his head close as he licked up and down her neck, occasionally nibbling on her ear. What remained of his left arm, he wrapped around her as much as possible. It was slowly regenerating, already having grown back a good six inches. He had a small scar from where his arm was severed since it didn't heal properly from constantly attaching a ripping off replacement arms, though it was hardly noticeable, only a slight shade lighter than his pale skin._

_Kagura had her own scar on her back, which she inherited from Naraku; though hers was really more of a birthmark than a scar. It did not bother Sesshomaru though. He still found her entirely too desirable, and the spider shaped mark felt strangely erotic while the rest of her smooth skin was as soft as the wind. He still couldn't believe that Naraku had managed to create a goddess like her. And to think that the half-demon bastard had the nerve to torture something so precious and wonderful. Well that was in the past, and Sesshomaru would show her nothing but pleasure._

_Kagura gasped when he nipped her. He smiled against her neck as her sounds of pleasure turned him on even more. He could smell her arousal. It was the most wonderful thing he had ever smelled. He could literally get lost in it._

_Somewhere in his clouded mind, Sesshomaru wondered how she had gotten under his skin like this. He was Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, she was a wind-demon, born from the flesh of a half-demon, yet she was able to do things to him that he had never thought possible._

_Sesshomaru was no stranger to the flesh of a woman. But in the past, he had taken women for his own pleasure. With Kagura it was different. He wanted more than just her body. He wanted_ her_. Completely and totally, body and soul. How could a woman do this to him? He hadn't thought it was possible to feel this way about someone._

_Kagura suddenly turned around and pressed herself up against him again. This time she attacked his neck with her lips, licking and sucking him in the same manner he did to her. Her ruby red lips grazed his ear and she whispered seductively to him._

"_I want you."_

_His control snapped. Using his one arm, he lifted her off the ground. Kagura automatically wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her up against the rocky wall, using his arm to shield her back against the rough texture. He had to have her. Right now, or else he would explode._

"_Take me now." She said._

_Sesshomaru pressed up against her, getting as close as possible as he brought her in for another shearing kiss._

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open, ending his erotic dream. He was panting, his heart was racing, and he was covered in sweat. And he was feeling very unsatisfied. How could a dream about Kagura affect him like this? Nothing had ever affected him like this. And, most importantly, why did it have to be a dream? At the very least he wished that the waterfall from his dream had been real, that way he could cool off.

This wasn't the first time he'd had a dream like that about Kagura. And it had been happening more and more lately. What was that damn woman doing to him? The thought that she had this affect on him infuriated him. He didn't want to feel this way, but he did. And to make matters worse, he _liked_ it. How could he like something he didn't want?

He sighed. This wasn't the first time though. He had been in a situation similar to this with Rin. He had come to care for her like his own daughter. He hadn't wanted to, but he did. He had wanted her to stay with him. Now it the same thing was happening with Kagura, but on a different level. He wanted her to stay with him, he just didn't _want_ to want that.

Sesshomaru glanced at the sleeping Kagura beside him. Even in her sleep she tempted him. What was different about her that separated her from his past lovers? Demons had needs just like everyone else, especially during mating season. As the Lord of the Western Lands, he had several concubines to satisfy him until he found a mate, but they meant nothing to him.

Kagura was different. He desired her more than all his concubines combined. More than any woman he had ever seen. And it wasn't just her body he wanted. If it was, he would only be lusting after. This wasn't just lust though. It was more, much more.

Unable to resist, he reached out to stroke her hair. He just wanted to touch her. These emotions were driving him crazy. What was happening to him? He was so confused, and he didn't like being confused. What was it about her? In the past she had shown him such disrespect and even insulted him. Had anyone else done that, he would have killed them. But not Kagura. He could never bring himself to hurt Kagura.

He froze as a thought occurred to him. Was this how his father felt about his mate? To him, it hadn't mattered that she was human, he had loved her and chose her over any demoness. It didn't matter to him that she had been human, just like it didn't matter to Sesshomaru that Kagura was the offspring of Naraku.

Sesshomaru sat back and pondered over this. One of the biggest reasons why he had always hated his brother was because of the half-breed's human mother. Sesshomaru's father had originally intended to mate with his mother. They were already lovers, but they had yet to become mates. Shortly after Sesshomaru had been born, he had fallen for Inuyasha's mother. He called off the mating with Sesshomaru's mother and mated with the human wench instead. Sesshomaru blamed her for stealing his father, and his hatred carried on to Inuyasha when he was born. But if Sesshomaru's father felt for Inuyasha's mother the same thing Sesshomaru felt for Kagura, he could hardly blame him for mating the human.

Was this love? Truth be told, Sesshomaru hadn't thought that he was capable of love. Well, there was his parents, but that type of love was different. To love others was something that he thought was beneath him, if he wanted to be strong, or so he had thought. Yet here he was, finding himself involved with company he never would have considered being worthy of his presence.

'_No, this Sesshomaru cannot allow himself to love!'_ Sesshomaru had always saw love as a weakness. After all, his father, who had been, at the time, the most powerful demon alive, lost his life because of love. He had died protecting his mate and son. He loved them and died for them. Sesshomaru did not want that weakness.

Sesshomaru started to become angry again. He was Sesshomaru, the demon that everyone claimed to feel nothing about anything. While he may appear that way, on the inside he was full of emotions like everyone else, he was just very good at controlling them. Except for when it came to Kagura and Rin. Then he didn't seem to have control over himself. But he wanted to be in control. He had spent his whole life being in control. To have that control taken away was infuriating.

He was getting soft. That was the only explanation. His cold heart was melting. He could still wear his emotionless mask, but on the inside things were different. Rin seemed to be able to always tell what he was feeling, regardless of his expressionless mask. Actually, now that he thought about it, his growing compassion seemed to begin when he met the young girl. Ever since then, he slowly became, dare he say it, nicer. And the thing that was confusing him was that he _liked_ it. He liked being compassionate from time to time. He would still hide it though, because to show compassion could be used as a weakness by his enemies. Naraku himself was very talented in that field.

'_Naraku.'_ Sesshomaru seethed. He needed to get rid of that vermin. Then Kagura would truly be free, as would Kohaku. With that thought in mind, his desire to kill Naraku grew. He _will_ kill that miserable half-breed. And then… and then all will be well, once he figures out these feelings that is.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Well, there it is." Said Kagura, nodding at the large fortress hidden deep within the forest.

Sesshomaru's yellow eyes fell upon the place he had currently been searching for. "So this is where Naraku has been hiding." He said. He sniffed the air. "He has moved on. This place is long since abandoned."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Of course, Naraku wouldn't want anyone to know where he was hiding unless he wanted to draw them there."

"That's why he moved." Said Kohaku. "With me still alive, and knowing his location, he wouldn't stay in the same place for long."

"That Naraku is such a coward!" Jaken cried.

Kagura shrugged. "He doesn't like to get his hands dirty. And he enjoys using people. Naraku may have many abilities, but truth be told he gets most of his power from the Shikon Jewel."

Sesshomaru didn't respond. It wouldn't have mattered to him how strong Naraku was or how many abilities he had. He would still meet his end.

"What shall we do now, milord?" asked Jaken.

"There is nothing for us here." Sesshomaru replied. "Let us go."

But Kohaku had other ideas. "Um, Sesshomaru, if it would be alright, may we inspect the castle. Naraku was secretive about a few things here. Any information may be useful. We might even find out where he is going."

Jaken snorted. "Ha, as if you know better than Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru ignored his servant as he glanced at the demon slayer. The boy had a point. Personally, Sesshomaru doubted that they would find anything to indicate where Naraku had gone. But then again, Kohaku had been the one working for Naraku. He had been in this very fortress at the same time the half-demon had. Perhaps he would be able to find something that only he would be able to understand. "Very well. But we leave tomorrow."

Jaken smirked. "See." Then he registered what Sesshomaru had said. "Wait, what?"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Clues, clues! Rin is going to find some clues!" the girl cried happily in a singsong voice, running through the fortress.

"Rin, don't go too far." Said Sesshomaru. He didn't think it was safe to run around freely in Naraku's former home.

Rin immediately froze, not moving an inch. And she didn't move until the others had caught up. Kagura snickered at the girl's behavior.

"Rin, he just meant not to run off without us." She said.

Rin just giggled and began running circles around the group with her arms stretched out.

'_Where does she get all that energy?'_ Jaken wondered. He glanced at Kohaku. _'At least this boy doesn't run around all over the place, but he does get along very well with Rin. Maybe Lord Sesshomaru will let him baby-sit her instead of me. That way I'll be able to-'_

"Jaken." Said Sesshomaru, bringing the toad-demon out his thoughts.

"Um, yes, milord?"

"Keep your eye on Rin."

"Wha… but milord-"

"This Sesshomaru will not repeat himself."

Jaken groaned. _'So much for that idea.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"I never thought I would see this place again." said Kagura in disgust.

Kohaku felt pretty much the same as her. "Don't worry. After today we'll never have to come here again." He paused for a moment and looked around. "It's this way."

Sesshomaru noticed that the further in they went, the stronger the smell of Naraku became. "Where are you heading?" he asked.

"To this one room that not even I was allowed in." said Kohaku. "I don't know what's in there and I doubt that if there was anything important that Naraku would have left it there, but I still think it's worth a look."

Sesshomaru didn't question him further. They walked in silence until they came to a door. Kohaku stopped in front of it and pulled out his sickle.

"This is it." He said. "I was never allowed to enter here."

"I wasn't either." Kagura replied.

Sesshomaru sniffed, trying to pick up the scent of something. There was definitely something beyond this door, and whatever it was smelled awful. But as bad as it smelled now, the stench intensified greatly once the doors were open. Naraku's scent and the smell of dead demons hit his nose with such force that Sesshomaru had to hold back a gag.

The room was full of the bodies of demons. No, the room was full of _pieces_ of dead demons. There were limbs and other mutilated body parts everywhere. No wonder it smelled so bad.

"Uch, gross!" Kagura muttered. "I should have figured."

Trying to ignore the putrid smell, Sesshomaru asked, "You know what this is?"

Kagura nodded. "Yes, I've seen it before. Remember how I told you that Naraku uses demons to make up his body, and on his night of weakness he breaks down into the pieces that makes up his body so he can examine it and remove any weaknesses. Well, here's the result of it. All these pieces were once many demons. Apparently Naraku saw these parts as weaknesses, so he removed them from his body and kept only the useful parts."

Sesshomaru wriggled his nose in disgust. "And what happens to the demons he absorbs."

"They die." Said Kagura simply. "And he uses their bodies to make up his own.

"Talk about disrespecting the dead." Said Kohaku sarcastically. If his body was ever used to make up Naraku's body, he would see that as disrespecting his body in the worst possible way.

Sesshomaru glanced down at the remains of a demon. _'Disgusting.'_ He noticed that most of these demons were lesser demons; the kind that did nothing more with their lives than kill, the kind that always traveled with Naraku.

Kohaku sighed. "I guess this was a waste of time. I apologize for the delay."

"Your apology is not necessary." Said Sesshomaru. "By seeing what makes up Naraku's body may give this Sesshomaru an idea of how to stop him."

Kohaku figured that that made sense. "I guess."

Sesshomaru wandered further into the large room and the others followed. He found all of this to be perhaps the most sickening thing he had ever witnessed. Was Naraku so weak that he had to constantly absorb more and more demons rather than working to get stronger? How pathetic. Naraku was the definition of disgraceful.

'_Even my half-breed brother has more honor and dignity than Naraku. At least he works to get stronger rather than relying on some jewel and absorbing demons.'_

Suddenly he heard Kagura gasp. He turned to her and saw her looking at the wall almost fearfully. He turned his attention to what she was looking at. There were chains on the wall that were used to hold a person there. Sesshomaru realized that it was here that he imprisoned Kagura and tortured her for her disobedience. The very thought sent a wave of blinding fury through the demon lord.

'_Naraku!'_ he seethed mentally, trying to control his rage. He saw red, and it wasn't because his eyes changed color, as his claws extended, digging into his palm. How he wished that half-breed were here now so he could tear him to pieces. _'You will pay for what you've done to her! This Sesshomaru _will_ see you dead!'_

He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his fury as Kohaku helped Kagura look away from the chains.

"Come on, Kagura, you don't need to see that ever again." the demon slayer told her.

Kagura pulled away from Kohaku. "I'm fine!" she snapped. "Lets just do what we must and leave!"

Kohaku nodded, not blaming Kagura for her behavior. He knew that her anger wasn't directed at him.

Sesshomaru attempted to remain calm as the two of them caught up, but he was finding it very hard to keep up his uncaring act. He continued into the large room, seeming to show no interest in what had just happened, but inside he was seething. He looked at all the dead pieces of demons, unable to keep the smell of death from reaching his sensitive nose.

'_Naraku, when this Sesshomaru kills you, he shall completely obliterate you from this world. Like these demons that make up your body, I shall tear you apart piece by piece.'_

The further in he ventured, the stronger the smell got. How many demon lives did Naraku sacrifice for his body? It was a real shame that so many demons had to die in vain. Not that Sesshomaru cared, but he still saw all these pointless deaths as wrong. Sesshomaru killed only when he had to and he never took pleasure in it. But Naraku enjoyed killing and he did it for no reason. So much death, and for what?

Sesshomaru came to a sudden halt as he picked up a different scent. This room was filled with the smell of death, but underneath all of that, he picked up the scent of something that was alive.

"Sesshomaru, what's wrong" asked Kagura. Being a demon, she too had a very good sense of smell, but not as good as Sesshomaru's since he was a dog-demon. Therefore she hadn't picked up what he had.

"Be on guard." Said Sesshomaru. "Something in here lives."

**(A/N: And that brings and end to this chapter. Hope you liked it. I tried to explain one of the reasons why Sesshomaru hates Inuyasha so much, and I think that his father leaving his mother for Inuyasha's mother is part of it. Anyway, it seems that Sesshomaru is having trouble figuring out what he is feeling for Kagura. We all know what he is feeling, but he still has to figure it out. So stay tuned for more.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Naraku left**_** 'something' **_**behind, which causes lots of trouble for everyone. And later they have a run in with Kikyou.**_


	10. Chapter 10: The Discarded Demon

**(A/N: Tired of being in suspense? Well you're in luck, because the next chapter is here. I hope you like it. If you get confused at anytime about what's happening, everything will be explained in the Author's Note at the end.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 10: The Discarded Demon**

"What?" asked Kohaku.

"Something in here is alive." Sesshomaru repeated, pulling out Toukijin.

His eyes scanned the room carefully. All he saw were pieces of demons. Wait, what was that. He could have sworn he saw a pile of remains move. Apparently he wasn't imagining things because Kagura saw it too, and immediately unleashed her wind attack. Whatever was hiding under the pile of demon remains leapt out, and it shocked all of them, even Sesshomaru.

This creature, whatever it was, was the Frankenstein of demons. It was hideously deformed and seemed to be made of random pieces. It looked as if someone with cruel and careless hands had molded it together, not bothering to put anything in the right place. It had more than one head, but only one of them seemed to be alive. This thing was the definition of abomination.

Sesshomaru looked at the creature in disgust. He couldn't figure out what type of demon it was or even if it was male or female; it seemed to be both. But whatever it was, it smelled of Naraku.

"You're the worst one yet." Said Kagura, sounding sickened.

"What do you mean, worst one?" asked Sesshomaru.

"I told you before how Naraku discards pieces of himself." Kagura explained. "But sometimes when he does that, some of his life force goes into the pieces and a new demon is born. I remember awhile back there was this one that was a giant ball of hair with a mouth. This thing is one just like it. I guess you can call guys like him accidental incarnations."

"Demons created by Naraku without him meaning to." Said Kohaku.

"Naraku." The demon growled. "Did you say Naraku? Where is that pathetic excuse for a demon? He expelled me from his body without care for my makeup. Look at me!"

"I'm trying not to." Kagura remarked.

"Silence, wench!" the demon snarled. "I never asked to be born this way!"

Sesshomaru was already getting tired of this demon's rambling. He considered killing it since it obviously hated its life. Then again, that wouldn't change anything. Killing it wouldn't change the demon. It would still be exactly the same, just dead. It seemed as if its very existence was bad.

'_Naraku, you go about creating life as carelessly as you destroy it. Just one more reason to kill you. Perhaps this pathetic creature knows where Naraku has gone.'_

The demon glared at Sesshomaru. "What are you staring at?"

Sesshomaru decided to ignore the demon's nasty tone. "Tell me who you are."

The demon growled. "Call me Daiakaio."

"Well, Daiakaio, would you happen to know Naraku's whereabouts?"

"Why should I tell you?"

'_Big mistake.'_ Thought Kagura and Kohaku.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "This Sesshomaru will not ask you again."

Daiakaio snorted. "Fool, if I knew where Naraku was hiding I would be tearing him apart right now."

Sesshomaru seemed satisfied with that. "Then this Sesshomaru has nothing more to say to you."

He turned to leave, much to Kohaku and Kagura's surprise. They would have thought that he would kill Daiakaio for the way he, they were considering it to be a he, spoke to Sesshomaru, as if he were nothing. Kagura failed to realize that she had spoken to Sesshomaru in a similar manner in the past, and that was back when he was still a cruel person.

"Uh, Sesshomaru, are you feeling alright?" asked Kohaku uncertainly.

"I am fine." The demon lord replied. "We are leaving."

Kohaku and Kagura glanced at each other and shrugged before following him.

"Wait." Daiakaio growled. "You, woman."

Kagura turned to the hideous monstrosity. "Me?"

"Your scent is similar to that of Naraku. You're one of his incarnations, aren't you?"

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me." She said, turning to leave.

Daiakaio suddenly charged at her. For being so big and so misshapen, he certainly moved fast. But it wasn't fast enough. Before he even reached the wind-demon, Sesshomaru's appeared in his path and viciously backhanded him. The force from the blow sent Daiakaio crashing through the wall, several walls actually, until he burst through the final castle wall.

"Nice shot." Said Kagura. "And thanks."

A moment later they heard a scream that sounded a lot like-

"Rin!" Kohaku cried, running through the holes in the wall until he reached the outside.

Daiakaio was climbing to his feet. Several feet away were Rin and Jaken, both looking shocked by the demon's sudden appearance.

'_Hang on, Rin.'_

Kohaku jumped down from the tower, regardless of the 70-80 foot drop. He slammed the blade of his sickle into the wall, slowly stopping his fall, and nearly pulling his arm out of its socket in the process.

Ignoring the pain in his arm, Kohaku pulled his sickle free, letting himself drop the remaining 6 feet. He got to his feet and turned to Daiakaio. The abomination was looking a Rin with an expression that was indistinguishable on his twisted features, but Kohaku didn't think it meant anything good.

Kohaku threw his sickle. It sliced through what Kohaku assumed was part of Daiakaio's head. A cloud of miasma escaped the wound.

'_Damn, should have seen that coming.'_ Thought Kohaku angrily. "Rin, Jaken, get out of there!"

Jaken immediately scrambled away from the toxic cloud. Rin followed his lead, but several of Daiakaio's tentacles shot out and wrapped around her.

"Let her go!" Kohaku shouted.

He ran at the demon, putting his mask on so he wouldn't breathe the toxic fumes. His sickle flew out, slicing through Daiakaio's tentacles. Rin fell out of his grasp as more miasma escaped the demon's injuries.

"Rin, come on, you have to get out of here." said Kohaku, helping the girl to her feet.

"Kohaku, what's happening?" asked Rin.

"Just go with Jaken. He'll take care of you."

"I'll take care of both of you." Daiakaio growled. Several more tentacles shot out, wrapping around the two of them. Daiakaio tore Kohaku's sickle out of his hand and tossed it aside. "So, you don't like my miasma? It's not so bad once you get used to it."

He breathed a cloud of miasma at the two of them, holding them with in the purple mist.

"Rin." Said Kohaku worriedly.

She looked at him with fear in her eyes. "Rin can't breathe." She wheezed.

'_It's the miasma!'_ Kohaku realized. Without hesitating, he pulled off his mask and stuck it over her face. "Rin, keep this on." he told her.

The tentacles wrapped around them tighter, preventing them from moving as Daiakaio tore the mask off Rin's face.

"You don't need that." He sneered.

A mighty wind picked up and blew away the cloud of miasma. A moment later, blades of wind sliced through Daiakaio's tentacles, freeing the children. Kagura immediately flew towards them on her feather and scooped them up out of harm's way. Though Daiakaio had wings, from different species of demons too, he didn't appear capable of flight.

"Get back here, you bitch!" he bellowed.

He made to follow them, but Sesshomaru was suddenly in his way again. "You're opponent is me." He said.

Daiakaio growled. "If you want to die too, you just needed to ask."

Sesshomaru showed no reaction to this threat. "Fool, you should have left with your life while it was still an option."

"You dare to threaten me?"

"Should you attack this Sesshomaru, the result will be your demise."

Daiakaio laughed. "We will see."

Something large and red shot at Sesshomaru. It was Daiakaio's tongue. At the end was a poisonous barb; Sesshomaru could smell the venom.

'_Poison cannot harm me.'_ Thought Sesshomaru.

He slashed at Daiakaio's tongue, cutting straight through it. Daiakaio grunted, but quickly recovered. His now forked tongue grew longer, each half going by either side of Sesshomaru. The dog-demon merely raised an eyebrow as he looked at the two rubbery pieces of flesh on his left and right. Spikes suddenly grew on the insides of the tongue as the two slabs of flesh came together.

Sesshomaru easily jumped up and out of the way, heading straight for Daiakaio. He slashed the demon, inflicting a serious wound. Daiakaio didn't seem to mind the pain. Different color tentacles flew out of the wound, heading straight for Sesshomaru. The ends of the tentacles peeled open like bananas to reveal hands, claws, stingers, and various other things that Sesshomaru easily dealt with using his energy whip.

Daiakaio growled as long gray arms sprouted out of the sides of his head, reaching for Sesshomaru. The demon lord allowed Daiakaio to grab him as he studied the demon's abilities.

"It appears that whatever injury you receive immediately changes your body." He said.

Daiakaio laughed. "Yes, that is the only useful thing being born of the discarded pieces of demons provides. Anything you do to me will just cause me to mutate and evolve. In short, you can't defeat me."

Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk slightly. "So you claim. Lets put this theory of yours to the test."

He grabbed one of the arms holding him, digging his claws into Daiakaio's flesh and unleashing his poison. Daiakaio's arm melted off, but it immediately mutated as three lobster like claws grew out of the stump.

"Fool, I told you that you can not win." Daiakaio sneered. "I'll just get bigger and stronger with anything you do to me."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "And if I were to destroy your entire body, what would you do then?"

He grabbed the other arm holding him and crushed it in his fist. There was a loud snapping noise as the bones broke. Sesshomaru charged forward and buried his claws into one of Daiakaio's many eyes. Now _that_ caused the demon to cry out in pain. But just like before, he mutated. A long pink tentacle grew out of the wound in his eye.

Sesshomaru frowned in disgust. This demon was beginning to annoy him. He unsheathed Toukijin and swung downward, nearly cutting the demon in half right down the middle. But even from an injury like this Daiakaio mutated, using it to his advantage. Large teeth grew along the sides of the cut, turning the wound into a large mouth.

"Care to try that again?" Daiakaio asked, his voice sounding slightly different due to his new mouth.

He snapped at Sesshomaru. The demon lord jumped up in the air and landed on Daiakaio's back, burrowing Toukijin in him. The sword was immediately pushed out as long large spider legs grew out of this new wound, lifting Daiakaio into the air as his former legs mutated into arms.

"You can't beat me, Sesshomaru." He said. "I am a survivor."

Now Sesshomaru was seriously getting fed up. At first Daiakaio's mutation ability had intrigued him, but now he was getting tired of this.

'_It is time to end this pointless battle.'_

He channeled his demonic energy into Toukijin and unleashed its power. Daiakaio was shocked by this display of power as half his body was obliterated. He collapsed to the ground and remained motionless.

Sesshomaru sheathed Toukijin and began to walk away. _'What a pathetic creature. He honestly thought he stood a chance against this Sesshomaru.'_

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of tearing flesh. Turning around he saw Daiakaio was mutating again. Sesshomaru placed his hand on Toukijin again, but before he could strike, someone else did. A sacred arrow, glowing with spiritual energy struck the mutating Daiakaio. He cried out as he was consumed by the pink light and disintegrated.

Sesshomaru glanced in the direction the arrow had come from and saw the beautiful face of the undead priestess. She lowered her bow, paying no attention to Sesshomaru, and glanced around.

"It seems that Naraku has long since abandoned this place." Kikyou remarked.

"Clearly." Said Sesshomaru uncaringly. He had to resist making a face as he picked up her foul smell of bones and graveyard dust. _'What did Inuyasha ever see in this mortal wench?'_

"Lady Kikyou!"

Kikyou turned at the sound of her name being called and spotted Rin and Kohaku riding down on Kagura's feather. Rin, having been the one to call the priestess, jumped off the feather and ran over to her.

"Rin is happy to see you again, Lady Kikyou." Said Rin happily.

Kikyou smiled. "It is good to see you again too." Her eyes moved to Kagura and narrowed. "Kagura."

The wind-demon nodded in greeting. "Kikyou."

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Naraku?"

Kagura glared at the priestess. "Naraku can go jump off a cliff for all I care."

Rin nodded enthusiastically. "Lady Kagura is traveling with us now." She said happily.

"Apparently Naraku forced her to do his bidding by holding her heart." Said Sesshomaru.

Kagura smirked. "But thanks to Sesshomaru here, I was able to escaped from my so-called father. I'm through with that bastard; not that I ever wanted to have anything to do with him in the first place."

Kohaku frowned at Kagura's language. "Kagura, watch what you say in front of Rin." He told her.

Kikyou turned her attention to him. "And you, you are one of Naraku's henchmen."

Kohaku's fist clenched. "Not by choice. I broke his spell."

"Did you now?" said Kikyou. "And it was through that jewel shard in your back that he controlled you. He may do it again. Perhaps I should take it."

"No!" Rin shouted. She immediately ran over to Kohaku and grabbed onto him. "No, Lady Kikyou! He'll die if you do!"

Kikyou's face showed no emotion. "I am aware. But with that jewel shard he is cheating death. He should have died long ago."

"Hey!" Kagura snapped angrily. "Sesshomaru saved mine and Rin's life with Tenseiga! We too cheated death. He's just using a jewel shard instead of Tenseiga."

"The dead should stay dead." Kikyou replied.

Kagura snorted. "You're one to talk. At least he's actually alive, unlike you. You're nothing but an animated corpse made of clay, using the energy of those souls within you to provide movement. And you have the right to say that he doesn't deserve life when he's actually alive."

"My undead existence is all I have!" Kikyou seethed. "For him there will be an afterlife. For me there won't. When I died I was reincarnated into Kagome because I tried to take the Shikon Jewel with me to the next world."

Kagura shrugged. "That was your choice. You should have known that the jewel couldn't be destroyed like that."

"I did not know I would be reincarnated because of it. My intention had been to take the jewel into the afterlife and guard it there, away from evil. But my plan backfired. Now Naraku has most of the jewel. He cannot be allowed to complete it."

Kagura threw her head back and laughed. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it you that gave Naraku the jewel shard to begin with?"

Kikyou didn't deny it. "It was. But my intention was to gather the nearly completed jewel in one place, and then destroy it along with Naraku." She looked back at Kohaku. "As long as he possess that shard in his back, Naraku may yet still have a hold over him. It will be better if I remove it."

Kagura whipped out her fan and took an attack position. "You can try."

Kikyou reached for an arrow. "Oh, I will."

"Enough!" Sesshomaru snapped, surprising them all by raising his voice. He immediately took on a calm emotionless tone again as he addressed Kikyou. "The boy is under my protection. Should you attempt to harm him or anyone else in my company, you will have to go through this Sesshomaru."

Kohaku was shocked beyond belief. He was surprised when Sesshomaru had allowed him to travel with him, but he was shocked to hear him flat out defend him.

"Sesshomaru…" he whispered in admiration.

Kikyou glared at the demon lord. "You dare to challenge me? You are a fool to do so."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "No, you are the fool."

"That's right!" cried Rin, sounding angry. "No one can beat Lord Sesshomaru!"

"We will see." Said Kikyou. She strung an arrow and aimed at Sesshomaru, who hadn't moved an inch. "I will purify you, and send you into the next world."

She fired the arrow. It flew through the air, glowing with spiritual energy. Sesshomaru easily caught it; the glowing arrow in his hand losing its spiritual energy in until it was no more than an ordinary arrow again.

"You cannot purify this Sesshomaru." He told her, snapping the arrow in half. "I cannot be defeated by a human."

Kikyou's eyes narrowed in irritation. "I am no mere human. I am the most powerful priestess since Midoriko."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Are you? I had thought that Inuyasha's human was stronger, having inherited your power as well as having her own."

Kikyou didn't like being compared to her reincarnation. "She is but a copy."

"She is more real than you." Sesshomaru told her. "She has a soul of her own. She has a life. She has a real body. You are not even the original Kikyou; that Kikyou no longer exists. You are nothing more than a clay statue that looks like her and has inherited her memories from the small portion of Kagome's soul that you stole. You are more of copy than her."

Now Kikyou was really angry. She held her bow out horizontally and channeled her spiritual powers into it. The bow began glowing with spiritual energy before the power blasted out of it, consuming Sesshomaru in a pink light.

Kikyou smirked. "You should never have challenged my power, demon. Now you will see how powerful I truly am, and just how real I am."

The power increased. Sesshomaru felt Kikyou's spiritual powers trying to overcome his demonic aura and kill him. She was indeed strong, stronger than that one monk and his followers that had challenged him when he had gone to rescue Rin. She had more power than all of them combined. But he knew that she was no match for him. And he wasn't overestimating his powers or underestimating hers. It was the truth. The most her powers did was force him to take a step back.

"Lord Sesshomaru, no!" Rin cried fearfully, making an attempt to get to him.

Kohaku held her back. "No Rin. Stay here, you'll just get hurt."

"But Lord Sesshomaru-"

"Will be fine. Watch."

Sesshomaru's eyes turned red, the first sign of his transformation to his demon form. His demonic aura flared up, overcoming Kikyou's spiritual energy. The force of his power not only dispersed the spiritual energy surrounding him, it also knocked Kikyou off her feet.

The undead priestess looked at the demon lord in disbelief. _'How did he overcome by spiritual powers? It's not possible.'_

Sesshomaru's eyes turned back to their golden yellow color as his power faded. "If you are finished, we will take our leave."

He turned and began to walk away. Kikyou narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You're not going to kill me?"

He stopped. "For what purpose?" he asked, not even facing her. "There is no point in killing what is already dead."

"You could still end my existence."

"True, but this Sesshomaru has no reason to. You are powerless against me. But heed my warning, priestess. Should you ever attack this Sesshomaru or those in my company again, I will finish you off." He began walking away again. _'Let the priestess have her undead existence. It would be pointless to kill her, less she wishes for her misery to end. But there are still things she wishes to do. Let her do them before her time is over.'_

Kagura, Kohaku, and Rin followed the demon lord. When they passed Kikyou, Rin paused by the fallen to priestess to see if she was alright.

"Lady Kikyou, you're not hurt, are you?" she asked worriedly, seeming to have already have forgiven the woman for attacking Sesshomaru and for wanting to kill Kohaku.

Kikyou gave Rin a surprised look, but managed to smile. "I am fine, Rin. Don't worry yourself over me."

Rin nodded. "Ok, bye."

As she turned to leave, Kikyou stopped her with a question. "But before you leave, tell me, why do you travel with Sesshomaru and Kagura?"

Rin gave Kikyou a confused look. "Why wouldn't Rin?"

"They are bad people."

Rin giggled. "Silly Lady Kikyou. They're not bad. They're really nice. They've just made some mistakes in the past, like everyone."

Kikyou looked at Kagura and Sesshomaru. So they were good people, were they? Well Kikyou decided that she would be the judge of that. Using her priestess powers, she looked into their souls to see just how good they really were.

She rose an eyebrow once she finished her soul searching. Well, they weren't pure of heart or the nicest of people in the world, but they certainly weren't evil. And their goodness was growing, mostly due to Rin's influence.

Kikyou looked at Rin in amazement. _'Could this girl really be capable of seeing the purity in the hearts of others more than me?'_ she thought. A smile appeared on her lips. _'This girl has a heart of gold. Should she be a priestess, her powers will be extraordinary.'_

Kikyou nodded. "Thank you for telling me that."

Rin giggled. "You're welcome! Bye now!"

She ran after the others. When she caught up with them, she saw Sesshomaru glaring down at Jaken.

"And where were you, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked coldly. "I believe this Sesshomaru specifically ordered you to watch Rin."

Jaken looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "F-Forgive me, milord. I did not mean to abandon Rin." He panicked when Sesshomaru continued to glare at him. He dropped to his knees and began continuously bowing. "Oh, please forgive me, milord! I thought she was right behind me when I fled! I promise never to make an assumption again! Please have mercy on your poor servant!"

Sesshomaru was silent as he let Jaken squirm for a few seconds more before finally saying, "Don't let it happen again."

Hands over his head, expecting some sort of physical punishment, Jaken opened one eye to look up at the demon lord. _'He… he's not going to punish me? Oh thank the heavens!' _Sesshomaru then continued onward, deliberately stepping on the toad-demon cowering at his feet. _'ACH! I should have expected that.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"My things are certainly getting interesting." Snickered Byakuya, watching the scene with his flying eyeball. "A confrontation between Sesshomaru and Kikyou. Who could ask for more?"

"I could."

Byakuya turned to his master. "Ah, Naraku, come to see what's happening?"

Naraku crossed his arms. "I cannot see what you're seeing."

Byakuya laughed. "I know, it's a real shame. But what was that you were saying about asking for more?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want the jewel shard in Kohaku's back."

Byakuya frowned. "Aw, so soon? You're going to spoil my fun."

"You have observed them enough." Said Naraku, getting frustrated. "Go after them now and get me that jewel shard."

Byakuya sighed. "Whatever you say." He pulled out his paper crane and enlarged it. "Be back in a flash."

**(A/N: Poor Jaken, always getting beaten up. Anyway, I said I would explain things if you were confused. First of all Daiakaio is what I call an accidental incarnation. If you remember the episode that Ayame first appeared, in there was a giant hair monster, claiming to be discarded from Naraku's body. Naraku explained that during his time of weakness, when he breaks down into the pieces of demons that make up his body, he discards anything he sees as a weakness. Sometimes these pieces come to life, thus being accidental incarnations, or incarnations that Naraku had not meant to create. As for Daiakaio's mutating ability, it works like this, whenever he receives an injury, his body heals in a way that causes mutation. So rather than healing back to the way he was before, he grows different parts. As for Kikyou, her reason for wanting to remove the jewel shard from Kohaku's back was not because she wanted to kill him, but to make sure Naraku couldn't take control of him again. Phew, hope that explains everything. Leave me some reviews and I'll give you another chapter.)**

_**Preview for next chapter****: Rin and Kohaku are separated from Sesshomaru and the others again, and Byakuya returns to finish what he started.**_


	11. Chapter 11: Rematch

**(A/N: Got a real nice action packed chapter for you today. You're really going to like this one. In the end is sad, but also sweet. I hope you like it.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 11: Rematch**

"Kohaku, look, fireflies!" Rin cried, pointing to the flying glowing insects.

"I see them, Rin." The demon slayer replied, watching the young girl chase them.

"Don't wander too far." Said Kagura. "You don't want to get lost out here at night."

"I'll keep an eye on her." Kohaku replied and followed her.

"Make sure she stays out of trouble!" Jaken shouted.

"Jaken, leave them be." Said Sesshomaru, watching his ward and her bodyguard wander off. He actually wanted them to leave for a while. Something told him that danger was approaching, and he didn't want them around when it came.

"Sesshomaru?" said Kagura.

The demon lord turned to her. So, she was aware of it too. "I know." he said.

Jaken looked confused. "What? What's happening?"

Kagura rolled her eyes. "You're useless." She muttered.

"I am not useless, wench!" the toad-demon shouted. "I am Lord Sesshomaru's faithful servant. Isn't that right, milord?"

"Jaken."

"Yes, milord?"

"You're useless."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Come back, firefly!" Rin cried happily as she chased the glowing insect.

'_Where does she get so much energy?'_ Kohaku wondered. _'Even with all my training, I'm just barely keeping up with her.'_

"Wow, look at them all over here!" said Rin. "Look, Kohaku! Look! In the tree! There are so many! Isn't it beautiful?"

"Uh, I guess. Rin, what are you doing?"

"Climbing the tree! Rin wants to see what it's like."

Kohaku quickly ran beside the tree, ready to catch her in case she fell. There was no need to worry though, because she got up it quite easily. She was obviously having the time of her life.

"Come on up, Kohaku! It's so pretty."

Kohaku hesitated. "Um, ok."

He made it up much easier and faster than Rin did. She giggled when he sat next to her. "Wow, you got up fast."

He shrugged. "It's from all my training."

Rin looked curious. "What kind of training did you have?"

He shrugged again. "All different kinds. I have to be prepared for anything. There are lots evil demons that enjoy hurting people."

"Like Naraku." Said Rin.

He nodded. "Yeah, like him."

Rin sighed. "Rin can't figure out why people do bad things. There's so many bad people in the world."

She hugged her knees to her chest as her eyes teared up. Kohaku looked at her in concern, wondering what was wrong. He didn't want to see her sad.

"Rin, wants wrong?" he asked worriedly.

She sniffed. "Why do people have to be so bad? Why can't they just leave us all alone?"

Kohaku got the feeling that he was missing something. "Rin, did something happen to you before we met?" She flinched at his words and he became worried. "Never mind. You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business."

Rin wiped her eyes and shook her head. "No, it's ok. Rin just gets sad when she thinks about it." She looked up at the starry sky. "Rin lost her family a long time ago. They were killed by bandits. Rin was left all alone and was treated badly by the villagers."

Kohaku's heart went out to her. He knew what it was like to lose one's family. "Oh Rin, I'm so sorry."

Rin nodded. "Thank you, Kohaku. But Rin knows that they are happy in Heaven. Rin will see them again. Besides," she smiled slightly," Rin isn't sad or lonely anymore. Lord Sesshomaru is Rin's new daddy, and soon Lady Kagura will be Rin's new mommy. She has new parents." She leaned against him. "And Rin has you."

Kohaku blushed, staring at the girl resting on his shoulder. "Rin, I…"

He never got to finish what he was going to say. The branch they were sitting on suddenly snapped in two. Kohaku managed to stay on what was left of the branch, but Rin went tumbling out of the tree.

She never hit the ground though, and she stopped screaming when she realized this. Her momentary surprise was replaced by confusion as she realized she was floating in the air.

"Rin, what…" Kohaku said, equally as confused. He briefly noted something about the end of the branch he was sitting on. It hadn't snapped, it had been _cut._

Rin looked at her suspended body then back at Kohaku. A moment later she was pulled by an unseen force, screaming all the way. Kohaku immediately jumped down from the tree and gave chase. Something, he didn't know what, but _something_ had hold of Rin. But there was no way in hell Kohaku would let this unseen foe keep her.

"Rin, hang on!" he shouted.

Rin was already out of sight, but Kohaku continued in the direction she went in. If it was a demon that took her, he would kill it, if it was something else… well, he would deal with it when the time came.

"Kohaku, help Rin! Rin is up here!"

Skidding to a halt, Kohaku spotted the young girl dangling upside-down at least 80 feet in the air. He still couldn't see what was holding her. It was as if she were being held by the air itself.

"Kohaku!"

"Don't worry, Rin, I'll get you down!" _'I just have to figure out how.'_ He looked around for any sign of a demon. "Come out and face me, whoever you are!"

Whatever had taken Rin decided to accept his challenge. A large demon insect seemed to materialize out of thin air, towering over the young demon slayer, its fangs dripping. It looked up at Rin, its pincers snapping together in anticipation of the meal to come.

"No, down here!" Kohaku shouted.

The demon insect turned its attention back to Kohaku. The demon slayer whipped out his sickle, swinging it around in warning. The demon ignored the boy's warning and lashed out with its claws. Kohaku threw his sickle, slicing off the demon's limbs.

"Get him, Kohaku!" Rin cheered from the sky.

But Kohaku wasn't listening. He knew something was wrong. The demon's lost limb immediately grew back. He made a noise that Kohaku assumed was laughter and attacked again. Kohaku swung his sickle around, slicing into the demon repeatedly. But it was useless. Any injury he inflicted upon the demon immediately healed.

After striking one of the demon's legs, Kohaku suddenly realized something. He had faced demons before. He knew what it felt like when his weapon made contact with flesh. Something was definitely off with this demon. Each and every time he made a blow, the demon reacted to the injury and even bled, but Kohaku felt no contact. It felt as if he was attacking air, like his sickle wasn't making contact with the demon at all, regardless of what he saw.

Kohaku halted his attack as he realized what was really going on. "Enough with your illusions, Byakuya!" he shouted. "Come out and face me!"

An evil laughter rang out around him. The insect demon disappeared, proving that it was indeed an illusion. Byakuya dropped the illusion surrounding him, allowing himself to appear before the two humans.

"So, you figured it out, did you?" Byakuya snickered. "How did you know it was an illusion?"

Kohaku glared at the demon. "You forget, Naraku made me kill countless times. I know the feeling of my weapon slicing through flesh. When I struck your phony demon, I felt nothing."

Byakuya nodded his approval. "I'm impressed. That's an important factor for me to keep in mind."

"Let Rin go." Kohaku ordered.

Byakuya just laughed. "Oh, but where would the fun be in that?"

He waved his hand, removing his illusions. The area around them changed. They were much farther away from Sesshomaru and the others than he had thought they were, thanks to Byakuya's illusions. And now that the illusions were dropped, he also saw that it was Byakuya's vines that were holding Rin.

Byakuya chuckled. "You two are really amusing. I've been keeping an eye on you." He held out his hand and the eye that he had detached from himself during their first encounter floated into it. "The two of you are fun to watch." He said, sticking the eye into his empty eye socket.

"You can take out your eye?" asked Kohaku. _'That's disgusting!'_

Byakuya laughed. "Not just my eye, but several limbs. It's just one of my many abilities. Like this one."

He snapped his fingers and several vines burst out of the ground around Kohaku, binding him tightly.

'_Not this again.'_ he thought in irritation.

Byakuya laughed. "This time I won't fail in retrieving your jewel shard." He made the vines wrap around the demon slayer even tighter. "Consider yourself lucky. Your death will be quick and painless. But hers," his gaze shifted to Rin, "will be much longer and much more uncomfortable."

Kohaku was overcome with anger. "If you so much as touch her, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?" mocked Byakuya. "You won't be able to do anything accept wait for her to join you in the other world." He cracked his knuckles. "So lets get started, shall we?"

He made a gesture for the vines holding Kohaku to come to him. Kohaku struggled to break free, but was unable to. But before he reached his captor, several blades of wind sliced through the vines, freeing him.

The same thing happened to the vines holding Rin. She fell screaming from the air as miasma escaped from the cut up vines. But before she hit the ground, an orb of white light snatched her out of the air and hovered to the ground. The orb turned into Sesshomaru holding Rin, who was clinging to him.

"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, you saved us!" Rin cried happily.

Someone cleared their throat. Kagura flew over to them on her feather, tapping her closed fan against her palm. "Yeah, and I did absolutely nothing." She said sarcastically.

"Thank you, Lady Kagura!"

Someone _else_ cleared their throat. This time it was Byakuya. "Hello, I'm still here." he said, angry that they were ignoring him.

Sesshomaru set Rin down. She quickly hurried over to Kohaku to see if he was alright.

"Oh, Kohaku, are you ok? You're not hurt, are you?"

The demon slayer shook his head. "No Rin, I'm fine."

"Then you better leave." Said Sesshomaru emotionlessly. "Take Rin and return to Jaken. We will handle this."

Kohaku nodded, taking Rin by the hand and leading her away. Byakuya let them go as he looked at the dog-demon and his sister curiously.

"So you saw through my illusions too." he said, scratching his head. He had created the illusion of Rin and Kohaku laughing and playing while he led the real Rin and Kohaku here. "I must be getting rusty. How did you see through my illusions?"

"You may be able to fool our eyes and ears," Sesshomaru explained, "but not our noses."

Byakuya shrugged. "Eh, guess you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Looks like I'll just have to kill you before I deal with those kids." He cracked his knuckles again. "Nothing personal."

Kagura glared at her brother. "Why do you listen to Naraku anyway? He doesn't give a damn about you. Once your usefulness is over, he'll dispose of you."

Byakuya showed no sign that he cared. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But you should be more grateful, he did give you life."

That remark infuriated Kagura. "Grateful? _Grateful?_ Do you want to know why he created me? He gave me life just so I could die! He wanted to use me as a test against the Wind Scar! That was why he created me! After my purpose was fulfilled, I became nothing more than a slave, an expendable piece of trash! The only reason he didn't kill me was because he found use for me to do his dirty work! And should I disobey, he would torture me and threaten my life! That was what my life was to him!"

Byakuya gave a fake yawn. "Touché, aren't we? If you hated the life you were given so much, why didn't you just end it?"

"I would rather die than continue serving that bastard." Kagura seethed. "But I wanted to live. There is so much to live for. But as Naraku's slave, I _wasn't_ living. And if there truly was absolutely no way to escape him, then I would have died trying to kill him myself. Worst case scenario, I would have taken him down with me; at least that would put an end to his evil ways."

Byakuya continued looking bored. "As interesting as this is, I would rather be spilling your blood. So lets get started, shall we?"

Sesshomaru took a step forward. "You will need more than illusions to defeat this Sesshomaru."

Byakuya laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I know that. I have plenty of other abilities. Illusions are just my specialties. Like this for example."

He vanished, but immediately reappeared with five duplicates. The six Byakuyas surrounded Sesshomaru, circling him.

"You say that my illusions can't fool your sense of smell." The Byakuyas said in unison. "Well then I'll just have to improvise."

He summoned more vines. They expelled miasma, rotting and decaying everything around them. The smell of death surrounded them, overpowering even Sesshomaru's sense of smell.

"You caught me off guard last time, but that won't happen again." said the Byakuyas. "Lets see what my sister and the great Lord Sesshomaru are capable of."

"As you wish." Sesshomaru replied. "Kagura, duck."

The wind-demon didn't need to be told twice. She immediately dropped to her knees as Sesshomaru spun around, unleashing his energy whip. He aimed for the Byakuyas' throat, intending to decapitate them. But just before the whip made contact with each of them, their heads popped off, allowing the whip to pass through the empty space between the neck and head.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Kagura.

Each head reattached to the neck. "I already explained this to your pet humans. I can detach and reattach my limbs. Quite a handy technique."

"Hmm, interesting." Sesshomaru replied, unsheathing Toukijin as Kagura held up her fan. They stood back to back, keeping their eyes on the Byakuyas. "Perhaps you will prove to be an interesting challenge after all."

Kagura took that as her queue to attack. "Dance of Blades!"

Her attack hit three of the Byakuyas. They faded away when the attack cut through them. At the same time, Sesshomaru charged forward. He buried his sword in the Byakuya on the left before swiping it sideways, unleashing his demonic energy. When the attack subsided, no Byakuyas were anywhere to be seen.

'_He couldn't have been defeated that easily.'_ Sesshomaru thought. _'He's stronger than that, but where did he go?'_

"Looking for me?"

The two demons looked up to see a grinning Byakuya floating in the air on his paper crane. He waved at them mockingly as he reached into his robes and pulled out his lotus flower. He lifted it to his nose and smelled the plant.

"Ah, heavenly. And soon I will be smelling roasted flesh. Yours to be exact."

He casually dropped the flower, letting it fall in front of Sesshomaru and Kagura. It barely touched the ground before flames flew out in all directions. Sesshomaru and Kagura jumped back, the demon lord easily avoiding the flames while Kagura had to use her wind powers to keep the flames back.

Byakuya suddenly appeared behind Sesshomaru. The dog-demon knew he was there the moment he appeared. Whirling around, he swung Toukijin. Byakuya detached his upper torso from his lower half, allowing the blade to miss its target. Sesshomaru growled in irritation and swung his sword in a diagonal direction, slicing apart Byakuya's upper half. But the two halves just faded away after the blow was made, another illusion.

Kagura had managed to avoid the flames of the lotus flower, but as soon as she thought she was safe, something unexpected happened. The flames began circling around her, trapping the wind-demon in a tornado of fire.

"You're no match for me, sister." Said Byakuya, as he stepped through the fire, unaffected by the flames. "Naraku created me to replace you; meaning I'm your better in every way."

Kagura glared at him. "Or you're just replacing me as his toy. Dance of Blades!"

Her attack was met by a barrier. Byakuya laughed at her failed attempt to attack him. "You just keep proving my point."

His barrier was suddenly shattered as Toukijin cut through it, passing through the fire as well. But this Byakuya was yet another illusion, much to Sesshomaru's annoyance.

The tornado of fire burned out once Sesshomaru cut through it, freeing Kagura from risk of being burned. But both she and Sesshomaru were immediately surrounded once again by a dozen Byakuyas circling around them.

"Stop with all your tricks!" Kagura snapped. "Fight us already, or are you such a coward that you'll just keep up with your illusion?"

The Byakuyas laughed. "Is using your abilities a sign of cowardness? I'm just having fun."

Apparently he was the only one. "This Sesshomaru is getting tired of your games. Drop your illusions and fight like a real demon."

"I am fighting. You're just no match for my illusion techniques, so you're trying get me to stop."

Kagura held up her fan. "I've had enough of this. Dance of the Dragon!"

A tornado appeared in the path the Byakuyas were moving in as they circled the two demons. Upon contact, each illusion disappeared, until only one Byakuya remained.

"Sister, you spoil my fun."

"Then let the fun start again. Dance of Blades!"

Byakuya duplicated himself two more times. Kagura's attack hit the center one, which was, predictably, an illusion. One of the remaining Byakuya fled as the other one attacked Sesshomaru head on. The demon lord knew this one was an illusion and didn't even bother to attack it. The phony Byakuya passed right through Sesshomaru and faded away.

The remaining Byakuya chuckled. "Careful, Sesshomaru. What if you were wrong and that did turn out to be the real me."

Sesshomaru gave Byakuya an uncaring look. "You're duplication has become predictable. I grow tired of attacking illusions."

"So do I." said Kagura. "How about trying something new?"

"Trying something new?" Byakuya repeated. An evil grin crept over his face. Very well. Lets see how you like this next trick, sister dear."

His arm shot out, growing longer as he reached for her. Before she could react, his hand reached _inside_ Kagura's chest and pulled something out, though he left no indication that he had even touched her at all, save for the fact that he was now holding something.

"Well look at what we have here." he said, showing Kagura the pulsing red object he had taken from her. "Doesn't this look familiar?"

Kagura's eyes widened with realization. "But, that's…"

"Your heart." Byakuya finished for her. "A little trick our father taught me." He smirked at the horrified look on Kagura's face. "What's wrong, sis? Feel like you've been in this situation before?"

Kagura took a step back, shaking her head. "No, it can't be."

"Calm yourself, Kagura." Said Sesshomaru emotionlessly. "That is not your heart."

"What?"

"Listen closely, feel your chest. Your heart is still within you."

Kagura immediately put her hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating beneath it. She sighed in relief before looking back at the organ in her brother's hand.

"But he's holding-"

"Don't forget his technique." Said Sesshomaru, now sounding impatient. "It is but an illusion, like everything else."

The truth hit Kagura like a slap in the face. She felt foolish for falling for such an obvious trick, and infuriated that Byakuya had pulled it on her.

"You son of a bitch!" she shouted, unleashing her Dance of Blades attack repeatedly. "How dare you do something like that against me!"

Byakuya laughed as he produced a barrier to block his sister's attack. "Can I help it if you're so gullible?"

"You are the gullible one," said Sesshomaru, "if you think that barrier can stop my blade."

He charged at the illusionist. Byakuya just smirked as he unleashed another one of his powers. Several vines shot out of the ground and reached for Sesshomaru. The demon lord simply cut down everything in his path, ignoring the miasma that seeped out of the severed vines.

But before he reached his target, the cloud of miasma flew at Byakuya, hiding him from Sesshomaru's view. The dog-demon ended up cutting nothing but air.

"Are your intentions to test my strength," he asked, "or my patience."

Byakuya appeared several feet away, holding his lotus flower to his nose. He chuckled at Sesshomaru's remark. "You're missing the point. I didn't come here for you."

He aimed the flower at Sesshomaru. Flames shot out of it. Kagura immediately used her wind powers to redirect the flames, but they had no affect on them.

Sesshomaru swung Toukijin, unleashing a vast amount of power, consuming the approaching flames. Byakuya was unable to escape the blast, no matter what illusion he used. But strangely enough, he was grinning.

"You're a fool." He said, as the attack hit him. But he didn't react to it at all. He simply faded away. He was an illusion.

Kagura growled in frustration. "Another one? Why won't he give it a rest?"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he finally displayed some emotion. "Because he's not trying to fight us. He never was. He said he didn't come here for us."

Kagura's eyes widened. "The illusions were a distraction. He's after Rin and Kohaku!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kohaku led Rin along by the hand, practically dragging her. Rin didn't care, not as long as they were getting away from Byakuya. It was strange, he and Kagura looked so much alike, except for the gender, yet they were so different. Unlike Kagura, Byakuya was loyal to Naraku and loved the evil deeds his master made him do.

Kohaku paused for a moment and looked around. "Where are Jaken and Ah-Un? I'm sure they were in this direction."

"They were." said Rin. "Look, there's the tree with the fireflies."

They jumped when the heard an evil laugh. Byakuya appeared out of thin air, dropping his illusion of invisibility. "You trust your eyes too much. I easily led you where I wanted by making you think you were heading in the right direction."

He snapped his fingers and the environment changed as the illusion vanished. Rin and Kohaku had no idea where they were. Byakuya had gotten them lost.

"Humans." He laughed. "So weak, so predictable."

He snapped his fingers again. Rin and Kohaku were suddenly ensnared in vines. Rin was completely wrapped up in a cocoon, leaving only her eyes uncovered; Byakuya wanted her to see what he was going to do to Kohaku. And speaking of Kohaku, His arms and legs were bound tightly, pulling in opposite directions so he was left dangling several feet in the air in an X formation.

Byakuya smirked as he hovered over to the young demon slayer. "You got away from me last time, but that won't happen again. My master is getting rather impatient. He wants his jewel shard back."

"You can tell Naraku that he can go to Hell!" Kohaku snapped. "And so can you!"

Byakuya laughed. "If we were concerned about that, do you think we would be the way we do?"

"So you don't care?"

"It's not that." Byakuya replied, tracing his finger over Kohaku's back until he felt that place the jewel shard was implanted. "We just enjoy ourselves too much. Now then, no more talking, no more fooling around. Now it's time to die." He looked in the direction Sesshomaru and Kagura were in. They had figured out about his illusions. "Oh, I better get a move on."

"'Oha'u 'o!" Rin cried, her voice muffled by the vines covering her mouth. "Ea'e 'im a'one! On' hur' 'im!"

"Patience, my dear." Said Byakuya, burrowing his claw into Kohaku's back, earning a cry of pain from the boy. "I'll get to you in a minute."

His claw closed over the jewel shard and pulled it out of the young demon slayer's back. Kohaku's eyes glazed over as the life left them. A hiss of air escaped his lips as his body went limp, his heartbeat stopping almost instantly.

"'O!" Rin shouted, tears pouring down her cheeks. "'Oha'u! 'Oha'u!"

Byakuya held up the bloody jewel shard and sneered at Rin. "Sorry, my dear, Kohaku is no longer with us."

"Mur'erer!"

"Can't understand you." He removed the vines covering her mouth so he could hear her anguished cries. "What'd you say?"

"Murderer!" Rin shouted again. "You killed him! You killed him!"

Byakuya glanced at Kohaku before smirking. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're about to be reunited."

He made a swishing gesture with his finger and a vine shot at Rin as if to stab her. There was a flash of light and a shower of blood as the end of the vine burrowed into flesh, but it wasn't the target Byakuya had intended to hit. Instead, the vine burrowed into Sesshomaru's flesh.

Sesshomaru winced as he ripped the vine out of his flesh. He was suddenly angry with himself. He had foolishly just taken an injury for Rin. _This_ was why he always saw love as a weakness. Willing to risk his life for someone else always seemed like a flaw in his personality. He had decided long ago never to let this happen to him. But lots of things have changed since then.

"Rin, are you alright?" he asked.

Rin was crying loudly. "No, no, Rin is not alright. Lord Sesshomaru, he killed Kohaku!"

The widening of Sesshomaru's eyes was the only indication that he cared, though inside he was feeling emotions that he could hardly put into words. Kagura, on the other hand, had no problem showing her emotions. Her already red eyes began glowing as the wind whipped violently around her.

"YOU BASTARD!" she bellowed. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

She swung her fan, unleashing powerful blades of wind, several times bigger than the usual ones. Byakuya's eyes widened as he quickly put up a barrier. Kagura's attacks slammed into his barrier repeatedly until it shattered. Byakuya quickly dodged her next wave of attacks, splitting into several copies at the same time.

"Sorry, sis, but I'll have to postpone this family feud." The Byakuyas said as they flew off. The vines unleashed a heavy cloud of miasma in the process. "I have a jewel shard to deliver."

It was impossible to see or smell him within the heavy cloud of miasma, and even then there were too many Byakuyas to attack. By the time Kagura had blown away the miasma, there were only a few Byakuyas left, all of them illusions.

"DAMN YOU, GET BACK HERE!" Kagura yelled.

Sesshomaru was much calmer than the wind-demon, or at least he appeared to be, as he freed Rin from the vines then went to get Kohaku down. Rin immediately ran to Kohaku's body, falling upon it and crying loudly.

"Kohaku, Kohaku, get up! Get up! You can't die!"

"What's all the ruckus?" Jaken had finally arrived on the scene, pulling Ah-Un along with him. "Oh my, what happened here?"

Kagura grabbed the toad-demon by his collar and lifted him up, glaring at him. "You want to know what happened here?" she yelled in his face.

"Well… I was curious." Jaken muttered, clearly terrified by Kagura's wrath.

"Then take a look!"

She threw him over in the direction of Rin and the motionless Kohaku. Jaken groaned and lifted his face out of the dirt. He blinked in surprise when he saw Kohaku's body. "Oh, he's dead."

"He is not dead!" Rin shouted, cradling Kohaku's head. "He can't be dead! Kohaku, you can't die and leave Rin here! Don't leave Rin, Kohaku!"

Sesshomaru watched the scene between his ward and the dead boy. He had never seen Rin so upset. He had never seen _anyone_ so heartbroken. He was actually feeling bad for her, and he was feeling upset himself that the boy was dead. Him, the cold-hearted, uncaring Lord Sesshomaru, was feeling grief. He hadn't felt this emotion since the death of his mother and father.

Rin looked up at the demon lord, tears still running down her cheeks. "Lord Sesshomaru, please, please help him. Bring him back to Rin. Don't let him die."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "What would you give to have him back?"

"Anything!" Rin cried.

'_She cares that much?'_ Thought Sesshomaru, stepping forward. "Tell me, Rin, how do you feel about this boy?"

Rin looked confused; she was too upset to understand what he was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"You know what this Sesshomaru means."

Rin sniffed a few times and looked back at Kohaku's face. "Rin loves him. Rin loves Kohaku very much."

"Ha!" Jaken laughed. "You're just a child. What do you know about lo-"

He was silenced by Kagura stepping on him.

"Rin knows!" the girl cried, nuzzling the boy's hair. "Rin loves Kohaku!"

"Like family?" asked Sesshomaru. "Like a friend? Or more?"

Rin wasn't sure what he meant, but her love for Kohaku wasn't the same she felt for her family. She used to have brothers, and she loved them, but it wasn't the same for how she felt for Kohaku. And it wasn't just the love of a friend either. She'd had friends, still did, in the past that she loved dearly, but it still wasn't the same.

"More." She said. "Please, save him."

Sesshomaru unsheathed Tenseiga. "Very well, this Sesshomaru will bring him back to life on one condition."

"Anything."

"You must tell him of your feelings by the end of the week." He was really getting tired of watching the two of them dance around each other. He wanted to get that out of the way so he wouldn't need to worry about it anymore. "Is that understood?"

"Yes." She would do anything it took. "Rin will tell Kohaku she loves him."

Sesshomaru nodded, and summoned up Tenseiga's power. The demons of the underworld appeared, feeding on Kohaku's life force. There were quite a few, indicating that they had been wanting to feed off him for a long time since he had cheated death. And once they completely drained his body of life, not even Sesshomaru could summon the boy's soul back from the other world.

'_Sorry, but you won't have him.'_ He thought, swinging Tenseiga.

It took two swipes to clear all the little demons, sending them back to the underworld. The life force they had stolen from Kohaku returned to him as his soul reentered his body.

Kohaku's eyes flew open and he breathed in deeply, sucking down the cool air. "Mother? Father?" he muttered. He had seen them. They were waiting for him in some bright place. He wasn't exactly sure where since he had not reached the destination yet. He had suddenly been pulled backwards. The next thing he knew, he was here on the ground, with his head in Rin's lap… _His head in Rin's lap!_

"Rin!" he cried, blushing madly. He sat up, looking around in confusion. What had happened? He looked at Rin for an explanation and saw that she was crying. "Rin, what's wro-"

"KOHAKU!" Rin cried, throwing herself at him, embracing him tightly. "Rin was so worried! Rin thought she lost you!"

"Lost me?" said Kohaku. Suddenly it all came back to him. Byakuya had taken the jewel shard in his back. _'But then, how am I alive?'_ He got his answered when he saw Sesshomaru sliding Tenseiga back into its sheath. "I died. You saved me."

Sesshomaru continued to pretend he didn't care. "We are leaving. We will find a place to rest. Kohaku, you may ride on Ah-Un until you recover."

The boy nodded. "Thank you."

Rin refused to let him go, even as they climbed on the dragon-demon's back. Kohaku continued to assure her that he was alright, but Rin refused to let go. She had almost lost him, and she wasn't going to let him go now or anytime soon.

**(A/N: So, how was that? Did you really think that I would kill Kohaku? I don't kill off my main characters so early in the story; yes early, there's still much more to come. In case you were confused about how Kohaku realized that the demon he was fighting was an illusion, I'll explain it to you. Being a demon slayer and a former servant of Naraku, he knows what it feels like to have his sickle cut through flesh. Though Byakuya was creating the illusion that Kohaku was cutting off the demon's limbs, he couldn't control the sensation of Kohaku's blade cutting through it, which was why he figured it out. As for Rin admitting that she loves Kohaku, she, like Jaken says, is too young to fully understand what she is feeling, but she does understand enough to know that her feelings are of love and that they aren't brotherly or friendship love. You may think Sesshomaru is a little pushy when he made Rin agree to tell Kohaku of her feelings, but hey, he's Sesshomaru. He doesn't have the patience to watch them dance around each other.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Rin tries to figure out how to confess to Kohaku and wonders what else is involved in a relationship with another person. Kagura begins to pry into Sesshomaru's private life, wanting to know more about him. Naraku realizes that Kohaku and Kagura are still alive and sends Byakuya to finish the job.**_


	12. Chapter 12: Thoughts and Denial

**(A/N: Ever wonder just how far Kagura would be able to push Sesshomaru before he really reacts? Today you'll find out.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 12: Thoughts and Denial**

"What is it this time?" asked Naraku as Kanna entered his chambers.

Kanna held up her mirror. The image of Byakuya approaching the fortress appeared. "Byakuya has returned." She said.

Naraku smirked. "Excellent. Hopefully he'll have the jewel shard."

"What if he doesn't?" asked Kanna.

Naraku's smile became more evil. "Then he'll begin to understand why Kagura wanted to get away from me so badly."

He went to wait for his 'son' to arrive, anxious to have back the shard of the Shikon Jewel he had given to the traitorous boy. Byakuya flew in through the window, jumping off his paper crane and doing a flip for dramatic effect.

"Hello, Naraku, Kanna. Miss me?" he asked in a joking manner.

"That depends." Said Naraku. "Did you bring the jewel shard?"

Byakuya grinned and showed him the small pink jewel shard. "One jewel shard, fresh from a human's back." He waved the shard beneath his nose. "Ahhhh, it still smells of blood. Delicious."

"I'm sure." Said Naraku, holding out his hand. "Now give it to me."

Byakuya shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

He flicked the jewel shard at Naraku. The evil half-demon looked at the small fragment in his hand. He reached into his robes and pulled out the nearly completed Shikon Jewel. He pressed the shard into place and it fussed with the rest.

'_Just three more pieces left.'_ He thought. _'All I need is the one in Inuyasha's possession and the two in Kouga's legs. Then I'll be able to become a full-fledged demon. I'll be more powerful than ever.'_ He smiled at Byakuya. "You did well. Now with them out of the way, I can focus on Inuyasha and the wolf."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "Um… 'them'?"

Naraku gave his son a curious look. "Yes, them. Kagura and Kohaku."

Byakuya crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Oh 'them', right."

Naraku narrowed his eyes. "They are dead, aren't they?"

Byakuya shrugged. "Well, the boy is. He died once I removed the jewel shard. But you never said anything about killing Kagura."

It happened so fast that Byakuya didn't even see it happen. Two of Naraku's tentacles were suddenly buried into his shoulders, pinning him to the wall. Byakuya could see Naraku's red eyes shinning with fury.

"Why didn't you kill her?" he demanded. "Are you getting soft because she is your sister?"

Byakuya shook his head. "Of course not. I would have enjoyed killing her, slowly and painfully. But you specifically ordered me to retrieve the jewel shard, so that is what I did." He grinned, even though Naraku's tentacles continued to dig into his flesh. "I can go kill her right now if you want."

Naraku held his son's gaze for a few seconds before retracting his tentacles. "Very well. But if you come back and she is still alive, your life will be the one that will end." He narrowed his eyes. "You say Kohaku died after you removed the jewel shard, but did you destroy his body?"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "No, why?"

Naraku growled. "Then he is alive too. Sesshomaru would have used the Tenseiga on him."

Byakuya's eyes widened. "Right, his healing sword." He said, snapping his fingers. "How could I have forgotten?"

"Yes, how could you?" Naraku mocked. "I want them both dead. And when you kill them, make sure to destroy their bodies so Sesshomaru can't revive them. Or even better, kill Sesshomaru as well. Then I won't have to worry about that damned Tenseiga anymore."

Byakuya smiled and cracked his knuckles. "The more dead, the merrier."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

It hadn't seemed like it would be that hard at the time, but now it was proving to be more difficult than she thought. But she would have done whatever it took to get Kohaku back, no matter how hard. So when Sesshomaru had said that she had to tell Kohaku how she felt about him by the end of the week, it hadn't sounded that hard. But it was proving to be much more difficult than she had originally thought.

'I love you', three little words that were so hard to say. Rin didn't know why. She had no problem admitting that she loved Sesshomaru, Kagura, Jaken, Ah-Un, her human family, and other friends, but for Kohaku it was so much more difficult. Perhaps it was because it was a different type of love. What kind, she wasn't exactly sure, being too young to really understand her feelings, but she had an idea.

One of the things that was really bothering her was what Jaken had said: _"You're just a child. What do you know about love?"_ That was a very good question. What _did_ she know about love? Romantic love to be precise. She was too young to feel the physical desires of love, that would come later, though she wasn't aware of that, but that just made her love more innocent and pure.

Rin suddenly remembered her conversation with Kagura a while ago. _'What kind of adult 'things' did Lady Kagura mean?'_ she wondered. _'Hmm, well with Mama and Papa, they hugged and kissed a lot. There were also some boys and girls in the village who got married that did that too. Does Rin want to kiss Kohaku?'_

She blushed at the thought. Yes, she did, but that was as far ahead as her young mind could think. She didn't know about the 'other' things couples did, and was too young to experience those urges.

'_Lady Kagura also said that later Rin will feel different about Kohaku and want to do different things, but she said Rin is too young to feel those things yet. But what things did she mean? She said she would tell Rin when she was older. Maybe Rin should ask Lord Sesshomaru or Master Jaken.'_

Smiling, she turned to the toad-demon. "Hey, Master Jaken."

"Hmm, what is it Rin?"

"What kinds of things do people that are in love do?" she asked innocently.

Jaken tripped over his own feet. He looked back at Rin with a look of horror on his face. "Wh-Wh-Wh-What? What are you talking about?"

Rin tapped her chin. "You know, like mommies and daddies, or people that are going to get married or are married, demons' mates. Lady Kagura said that they do things together, things Rin is too young to understand."

"Damn right you're too young!" Jaken shouted.

Sesshomaru stopped when he heard Jaken shout. "Jaken, is there a problem?"

The toad-demon gulped. "N-No, milord."

Sesshomaru gave his servant a suspicious look, but continued walking again. He made sure to keep his ears on the conversation.

Jaken cleared his throat. "You are too young, Rin. _Way_ too young."

"But what is Rin too young for?" the girl asked.

The toad-demon scratched his head nervously. "Well… ah… uh…" What was he supposed to say? "Well, when two people love each other, they… um… Stuff happens."

"Yes?"

'_I should not have to be the one who explains this!'_ "Well, where do you think you came from?"

Rin looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know where babies come from?"

Rin giggled. "Silly Master Jaken, of course Rin knows where babies come from. The mommy and daddy have a baby. But first the mommy has the baby in her tummy until the baby is ready to be born."

Jaken rolled his eyes. _'At least she's not hung up on the whole stork nonsense.'_ "Yes, that's true, but do you know how they have a baby?"

Rin looked thoughtful. "Um… no. Rin never thought about it before."

Jaken smacked his forehead. "Rin, you're too young to understand this. You'll find out when you're older. For now, all you need to know is that when two people get married is that they have kids and live as one big happy family."

Rin frowned slightly. Now she had even more questions than before. She knew that when two people loved each other that they got married, or in demons' cases they were mated, and that they had kids, but she never thought out the second part. She didn't know how a woman got pregnant or anything that led up to it. She had seen pregnant women before and knew women that had babies, but she never thought about the process.

'_Two people that love each other get married and have babies.'_ Rin thought to herself. She looked at Kohaku. _'Rin loves Kohaku. Rin wants to marry Kohaku, that Rin is sure of. Hmm, but babies. Does Rin want babies? Yes, when Rin is older.'_ She stole another look at Kohaku and blushed. _'And Rin wants Kohaku to be the daddy. Yes, Rin wants Kohaku and no one else! But Rin is still too young to get married and be a mommy. Maybe when Rin is ready, she will be old enough to find out what Lady Kagura and Master Jaken are talking about.'_

Then a terrible thought struck her. What if Kohaku didn't love her? Sure they were best friends, and Rin was sure she loved him, but she wasn't sure about his feelings. But wasn't that why Sesshomaru wanted her to confess her feelings, to find out if Kohaku felt the same?

That had been three days ago. Three days since she had lost him and gotten him back. The day Byakuya removed the jewel shard in her back was the saddest day of her life, surpassed only by the day her family was killed. It was also the happiest day of her life because she had gotten him back. She had never been more relieved. The thought of losing Kohaku was unbearable. She didn't want to think about it. Having to confess her feelings earlier than she had planned was a small price to pay in order to get _her_ Kohaku back.

But she still had yet to complete her part of the bargain. She had tried on a few occasions when they were alone, but she would always get too shy and embarrassed, and those were two things she hardly ever, if ever, felt.

'_Rin must tell Kohaku! Rin _wants_ to tell Kohaku!'_

It was easier said than done though. Now she knew why Sesshomaru and Kagura were behaving the way they were around each other and why they haven't confessed yet. It was scary telling someone that you loved them, no matter how much they belonged together.

'_And they do!'_ thought Rin happily. _'Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kagura _do_ belong together! Rin can't wait until they get married, or mated! Maybe soon Rin will have a little brother or sister!'_

Which brought her back to her questions about having babies. So she was too young to have a baby, she understood that perfectly, but _how _would she have a baby in the first place? She decided to ask Jaken.

"I told you that you're too young to understand!" Jaken scolded her.

"Rin just wants to know how a baby gets inside a mommy's tummy."

"I am not having this conversation with you! And don't bother asking Lord Sesshomaru either."

Rin frowned. So neither Jaken or Sesshomaru would tell her. That left two people. Rin was too embarrassed to ask Kohaku and wasn't sure if he would know in the first place, so that left only one person.

Rin ran up to Kagura and tugged on her kimono. "Lady Kagura."

The wind-demon smiled down at the girl, unaware of what she was about to get in to. "Yes, Rin?"

"Where do babies come from?"

Kagura's reaction was similar to Jaken's. "Rin, that is not something you need to worry about for a _long_ time."

Rin pouted. Why was everyone ignoring her question? What was she too young to understand?

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to sigh as he watched Rin and Kohaku play. Truth be told, he was somewhat envious of them. His childhood hadn't been all that great. Before his parents' mating, his father had abandoned him and his mother for a human. Sesshomaru had always wanted his father to appreciate him, and he thought that perhaps if he was stronger that his father would accept him.

Apparently he had been wrong. No matter what he did, no matter how strong he became, no matter how many enemies he had slain, his father never acknowledged any of it. He was always with his human mate and his half-breed son, Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru rested his head back against the tree. That was all in the past. His mother was dead, his father was dead, and Inuyasha's mother was dead. Sesshomaru's power had never been seen in his father's eyes.

Or perhaps it had. Wasn't that why he received the Tenseiga instead of the Tetsusaiga? He already had all the power he needed and more. He could already protect the ones he cared for, and Tenseiga was used to save those he couldn't protect.

"Do you think it is right to force Rin to confess?" asked Kagura, bringing Sesshomaru out of his thoughts.

Sesshomaru glanced at the wind-demon before turning back to Rin and Kohaku. "I am simply tired of watching the two of them dance around each other."

Kagura chuckled. "That's a switch. Not too long ago you were against them being together." Sesshomaru didn't respond. "I guess you finally realized how much they love each other."

"This Sesshomaru does not believe in love."

This time Kagura openly laughed. "Oh, now I know you don't believe that. You can't tell me that you don't believe in love when you _do_ love. Do you not care for Rin like your own daughter?"

"That is different." Sesshomaru insisted. "The love that this Sesshomaru speaks of is the kind between two people."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Then what do you call that?" she asked, pointing to Rin and Kohaku playing together.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "A weakness."

"A weakness?" Kagura repeated. "Ah, I get it. It's not that you don't believe in love, you just see it as a weakness. Is that right?"

Sesshomaru hesitated before answering. "Yes. And it is true. Love is a weakness. That is why this Sesshomaru will not allow himself to love."

Kagura snorted. "Yeah, you've done a great job of it so far." She said sarcastically.

Sesshomaru glared at her. "Do not mock this Sesshomaru."

"I'm not mocking you. You can't say that you don't believe in love, because you do love. You're just lying to yourself and you know it." Again Sesshomaru didn't reply. "Why are you denying what you feel? What are you afraid of?"

"This Sesshomaru is not-"

"Stop fooling yourself." Kagura interrupted. "You know very well that _this Sesshomaru_ is avoiding the truth."

"It is true."

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

Sesshomaru had had enough. He got up and began to walk away. But Kagura wasn't about to let him get away so quickly. She was going to get him to open up to her if it was the last thing she did.

Moving like the wind, she was suddenly blocking Sesshomaru's path. The demon lord glared at her, still managing to keep on his emotionless mask. "Move."

"We're not done talking." Said Kagura stubbornly.

Sesshomaru's clenched his fist. Had this been anyone else, _anyone else,_ he would have struck them down by now. Hell, he would have done it a number of times by now. But not against Kagura, never against Kagura.

'_Weakness.'_ He told himself. _'This is why emotions are a weakness, because they hold you back.'_

"I want to know why you are so damn stubborn about this." said Kagura. "Why are you afraid to feel?"

"To show emotion is to show weakness." Sesshomaru replied.

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Yes, you've made that perfectly clear, which is why you hide your emotions. But you still feel them. Rin sees it and so do I. I understand why you would want to hide emotions from others, but why hide them from yourself?"

"It is a weak-"

"You already said that, but you haven't told me why. Why is it weak to-"

"Because I have seen it happen before!"

Kagura was stunned into silence. Sesshomaru had left her speechless for two reasons; the first was that he actually raised his voice and dropped his emotionless mask, the second was because he actually answered her.

"You've seen it before?" she asked.

Sesshomaru turned away. "I have."

"When?" Kagura asked, eager to hear more. She was on a roll now and she didn't want to stop.

"My father." Sesshomaru replied. "He was the strongest demon alive, perhaps the strongest to ever live. No one could match him in speed or power. He was to be mated to my mother, another powerful demon. But before they were mated, he fell for a human and mated her instead. He threw away his title and power for love. And then he died for it. He died saving his human mate and half-breed child. The greatest demon of all died because of love. This Sesshomaru will not make the same mistake."

Kagura was silent as she processed all this information. So that was the big mystery behind the great Lord Sesshomaru. In a way, she saw what he meant.

"So, you think you're going to be weak because you love. I get it." She smirked. "You're scared."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he looked at Kagura in open shock. "What?"

Kagura snickered. "You're afraid all your power will count for nothing if you allow yourself to love. So you're running away from your emotions and denying the truth." She openly laughed. "So I finally found something the great Sesshomaru is afraid of."

"This Sesshomaru fears nothing!"

Kagura opened and closed her fan a few times, smirking. "You're not convincing me."

Sesshomaru lunged at her. The next thing Kagura knew, she was pinned against a tree. Her eyes widened as she looked up into Sesshomaru's face. His eyes had turned red and there was a hungry predatory look in them.

Kagura's heart rate quickened. _'Oh hell, did I push him too far?'_

Sesshomaru could smell her fear, but he could also smell her excitement. "Then allow this Sesshomaru to convince you."

He crushed his lips against hers. Kagura gasped and Sesshomaru seized the opportunity to force his tongue her mouth. She was surprised, but pleasantly surprised. If she had known that all she had to do to get this reaction out of him was piss him off, she would have done it _long_ ago.

Sesshomaru hadn't been able to resist when she had gotten his heart racing. He just had to taste her, feel her lips against his. He had been resisting his desire to take her for a long time now and was unable to hold back any longer. The dreams he had been having had always left him unsatisfied and eager for more. Nothing was like the real thing. Kagura tasted sweeter than he could ever imagine. He couldn't wait to taste the rest of her.

Kagura returned the kiss with equal passion as their tongues dueled for dominance, which ended up with Sesshomaru winning. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him closer as she deepened the kiss. She heard Sesshomaru growl and she smirked against his lips.

The need for air became too great and the two broke apart. Both were greatly tempted to continue what they started, but not with the others so close.

Kagura blushed as she realized that they were doing this out in the open. Rin and Kohaku might not notice, but Jaken would be able to smell their arousal.

'_Oh well, I'll kill the little imp if he says anything.'_ she thought.

Sesshomaru backed away from her as he struggled to contain himself. "Does that convince you?" he asked, not even expecting an answer as he turned to leave.

Kagura remained where she was, trying to control her rapidly beating heart and heavy breathing. That had been _incredible._ The Lord of the Western Lands had just kissed her. She had wanted that to happen for a while now. But what if he had only been trying to prove his point, to show that he wasn't afraid?

No, it couldn't have been only that. The way he reacted was more than just proving a point, and she had smelled his arousal. He had wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

Kagura reached up and traced her lips, memorizing the feeling of his kiss. She couldn't hide the smirk that crept up on her face. _'Gotcha.'_

**(A/N: Hee, hee, Kagura finally triggered a reaction out of Sesshomaru. She also got him to admit why he sees love as a weakness. I loved the part how she accused him of being afraid. How will this turn of events affect their relationship? And what about Rin and Kohaku. I couldn't stop laughing as I wrote the part when Rin kept asking questions. Stay tuned for more. Price for this chapter is reviewing.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Sesshomaru argues with himself and finally comes to terms with his emotions. Rin finally works up the courage to tell Kohaku how she feels.**_


	13. Chapter 13: Rin's Song

**(A/N: It's the chapter you've all been waiting for. Well, one of the chapters you've been waiting for. One of my friends gave me the translations to the song in this chapter. I'm not sure if they're correct, but I'm using them anyway. Enjoy.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 13: Rin's Song**

Sesshomaru had to get away. Had he stayed in Kagura's presence any longer he would have taken her right then and there, regardless if Rin, Kohaku, Jaken, and Ah-Un being present.

Sesshomaru shook his head. He couldn't take this anymore. He was going out of his mind. He admitted that there was definitely _something_ going on between Kagura and him that was more than just lust. Ok, _much_ more than lust, but he refused to believe that it was love. He had decided long ago that he would never allow himself to love.

'_But it's too late, and you know it.'_ Said a small voice in the back of his head.

Sesshomaru's nails dug into his palm as he tried to control his frustration. It was not love. It was _not_ love! He was not capable of love… Was he?

'_No, this Sesshomaru does not love.'_

And yet he couldn't help but feel like he was lying to himself. If he didn't love, why did he feel like he did? Why was he willing to risk his life for his companions, Rin and Kagura especially. Why did he feel like he couldn't be complete without them?

He decided to think this through one step at a time, starting with Rin. Ok, he did care for her, that much he was sure of, though he refused to use the word love… for now. She was like a daughter to him. It was strange how she had unexpectedly just dropped into his life. Being the Lord of the Western Lands, he knew that one day he would need an heir. Since Rin was human, she couldn't possibly take over, due to her short life span. He would need to find a mate and have a true heir someday.

Which brought his thoughts back to Kagura. Truth be told, he had never considered having a mate. Technically, one wasn't needed for him to have an heir; after all, his father hadn't been mated to his mother, yet it had been him and not Inuyasha that had inherited the Western Lands. He could just find a powerful demoness who would want her child to one day be the Lord or Lady of the Western Lands. That way he wouldn't need to eternally bond himself to someone. Sesshomaru had always seen this as something he _had_ to do, rather than something he wanted to do, but now he was having second thoughts. He was actually considering having a mate.

'_No, I don't love!'_

Yet his mind returned back to the kiss he and Kagura had shared. Damn it, that foolish move had been his undoing. At first he had merely been trying to prove that he wasn't afraid to love, but then his emotions and desire had taken over, and he ended up revealing a part of himself that he had been hiding from everyone, even himself.

'_Why?'_ he shouted in his head, though his outward appearance made him appear calm. _'Why am I feeling this way? Love is a weakness!'_

If he were smart, he would kill Kagura and Rin so his emotions wouldn't bother him. That would be the smart thing to do, remove any distractions. But he would _never_ be able to harm them. He would rather die than see them hurt.

Sesshomaru froze as those last few thoughts flew through his mind. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't deny the fact that it was true. Damn it, this was why he saw love as a weakness. He would die for them. That was weakness.

Sesshomaru growled in anger and punched a nearby tree, completely snapping it in half and knocking the roots clear out of the ground. He hadn't wanted this, but he couldn't deny the truth, not anymore. He thought he was incapable of love, but he was wrong. He finally admitted it to himself. Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, loved Rin like a daughter. Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands was in love with Kagura.

'_I didn't want this, but it has happened.'_

Yes, it had really happened. He had unwillingly fallen in love. And the thing that really confused him was that he liked it. How could something that felt like a weakness feel so good, make him feel so alive? He knew that he would never let this feeling go, nor would he ever let go of the ones that brought on this feeling. But right now he was just frustrated that he had allowed his emotions to beat him. He felt like killing something, _anything._ He just needed something to take his frustration out on.

Apparently his angry outburst had caught the attention of someone else in the forest, because a few moments later a large bear-demon came storming over to Sesshomaru, wondering why a tree had just snapped in half.

"Hey, what are you doing in my forest?" the demon demanded.

Sesshomaru smirked slightly. _'Hello something.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kagura couldn't hide her smirk when Sesshomaru came back. Although he still had on his emotionless mask, she knew that he was frustrated. She was getting very good at seeing through his little act, though she wasn't as good as Rin… yet.

"Back so soon, Sesshy?" she teased.

Sesshomaru glared at her. "Do _not_ call me that."

Kagura snickered. "Whatever you say, Fluffy."

"Kagura." He growled in warning.

"What's wrong with Fluffy?"

'_She got that name from Rin.'_ Thought Sesshomaru in annoyance. "This Sesshomaru does not wish to be referred to by such a name."

"'This Sesshomaru' needs to lighten up." Kagura insisted. "Stop being so serious all the time."

Sesshomaru wasn't in the mood for this. He was mentally exhausted from arguing with himself. "I do not wish to be disturbed now." He said, walking under the shade of a tree and leaning against it.

Kagura shrugged. "Whatever you say, your majesty."

There was something different about Sesshomaru. He seemed to have accepted something. Had something she had said gotten through to him? She hoped so. She was eager to feel his lips against hers again… and hopefully something a bit _more._

'_You've got a dirty mind, Kagura.'_ She thought to herself. _'But you can't help it that you're in love. If only he would feel about me the way I feel about him.'_

She looked over at Rin, who was chasing Kohaku. _'But Rin believes that he loves me. How I wish that were true. That demon has stolen my heart.'_ She laughed at the irony. _'I finally get my heart back just to have it stolen again.'_

That wasn't exactly true though. She'd feelings for Sesshomaru for a long time. It was strange how it happened. At first she had admired his strength and had simply planned to use him to kill Naraku, but somewhere along the line she had fallen in love with him.

'_Why must my life be so damn difficult?'_

"Lady Kagura, are you ok?" asked Rin. "You look like there's something wrong."

Kagura just smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine, just thinking."

Rin smiled. "About Lord Sesshomaru?"

Kagura snickered. "You don't miss a beat, do you?"

Rin giggled. "You and Lord Sesshomaru would be perfect together. Rin can't wait until you two get married."

Kagura blushed and shooed the girl away. "Go play with your own boyfriend."

"Ok!"

Kagura watched her run off again. She wondered what it was like to be a child. Kagura had the misfortune of being born at the age of 17. She would never know the joys of being a child.

Frowning, she cursed Naraku's name again. He didn't care about her when he gave her life. She was just a pawn. He never gave her anything but pain. Kagura was _so_ happy to be away from him. Well, she wasn't completely away from him, and wouldn't be until he was dead. True, she may be free from being his slave, but Naraku would want revenge on her and Kohaku for stealing Akago. It wouldn't truly be over until he was dead.

'_Don't think about that bastard now!'_ she scolded herself. _'Just focus on the here and now.'_ She glanced at Sesshomaru. _'And the one you want to be with.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Rin couldn't get to sleep. She was feeling restless. It was strange, she wasn't normally one to worry. She had two days left to confess her feelings to Kohaku before the week was up. She wondered what Sesshomaru would say or do if she didn't confess by then. Probably nothing, but she had made a deal, and she was going to stick to it.

'_Besides, Rin _wants_ to tell him.'_ She thought, glancing at the sleeping Kohaku and blushing. _'Perhaps a walk will clear Rin's head.' _She walked over to Jaken and gently poked him awake. "Master Jaken, Rin is going for a walk. She won't go far. Is that ok?"

Jaken, still half asleep, just rolled over and mumbled, "Sure, whatever."

"Thank you. Rin will be back soon."

"Yes, that's nice."

Not even thinking about the dangers she could run into, Rin wonder away from the others. She just needed some time to think. She eventually came to a cliff that had a fabulous view of the forest. Rin sat down with her legs hanging over the side and just enjoyed the sight before her.

"Wow, the forest is beautiful!" she said. "Rin could sit here forever." She frowned. "Rin just wishes Kohaku was here with her."

She blushed at the thought. She wondered how she was going to confess. She wished she could tell him here, over this beautiful view.

'_Oh Kohaku, Rin loves you. She just wishes she could tell you.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kohaku woke some time during the night. He immediately noticed that something was wrong. After a few seconds he realized that Rin was gone.

'_Rin!'_

He panicked. Where did she go? Did something happen to her? Did a demon get her?

'_Calm down.'_ He told himself. _'If any demon had come anywhere near here, Sesshomaru would have known. Maybe Rin just went to find a late night snack, or perhaps she went to the bathroom. I wish she would have woken me up though.'_

Deciding that it was better to be safe than sorry, he took up his sickle and went to look for her. It would have been easier to track her down if he had a demon's senses, but he was still able to pick up her trail; he was a demon slayer after all, so he knew how to track.

He followed her trail until he found something else to follow. It sounded like singing. It was definitely Rin's voice, but he had never heard her sing before. She had a good singing voice, and he followed it over to the cliff Rin was sitting on. He stopped here and just listened to her sing, not wanting to interrupt her.

"_Pure has become impure. Impure has now become pure. Evil has now become good. Good has become evil. To live is to die. To die is to live. Saint Hakushin beneath the earth. Mount Hakuray will return to Hijiri."_

Once her song was finished, almost as if she sensed he was there, Rin turned to Kohaku. She blushed when she saw him staring at her. "Oh, Kohaku, I thought you were sleeping." She said.

"I was." he said, approaching her. "But I woke up and saw that you were gone. I got worried, so I came looking for you."

"Oh, thank you for worrying about Rin, but Rin is fine."

He chuckled. "Yes, I can see that." He sat down next to her. "What was that song you were singing?"

Rin blushed again. "Oh, just a song Rin heard at Mount Hakuray."

Kohaku smiled. "I liked it. You have a lovely singing voice."

Rin giggled. "Thank you."

She was blushing again. Even in the dark, Kohaku noticed the color in her cheeks. "You don't have to be embarrassed." He told her. "I like listening to you sing."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. You should sing more often."

Rin frowned. "Master Jaken said that it's annoying when Rin sings."

Kohaku rolled his eyes. "Rin, _everything_ is annoying to Jaken."

Rin laughed. "That's true. Master Jaken needs to have more fun. He's too grumpy. He needs a hug. Rin will go give him one!"

'_I don't think that'll change his mood.'_ "Well at least wait until he wakes up, or else he'll be extra grumpy. Speaking of which, you should be asleep now too. Why are you out here by yourself?"

"Rin was just thinking."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Things."

"What kind of things?"

"Just things."

'_We're not getting anywhere.'_ "Anything I can do to help?"

Rin giggled. _'Not unless you can help Rin tell you that she loves you.'_ "No, Rin can handle it. She just wanted some time to herself to think for a bit."

"Oh. Do you want me to leave?"

He began to get up. Rin grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "No, Rin wants you to stay. Will you?"

He nodded. "Anything for you, Rin."

They were silent for a few moments before Rin spoke again. "Kohaku, what do you think of Rin?"

Kohaku didn't understand the question. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "Never mind, it's nothing." She looked back at the view of the forest. "It's so pretty here, isn't it Kohaku?"

He nodded again. "Yeah."

"Rin was just sitting here, looking at the view, and she suddenly felt like singing. That's kind of silly, isn't it?"

"Of course not. You should sing whenever you feel like it."

Rin smiled. "Do you want to hear Rin sing some more?"

He nodded. "I would like that very much."

"Ok then. Rin will sing for you." She looked back out over the cliff and began singing.

"_Quietly awakening…_

_I always, always wish_

_that these fleeting thoughts_

_would reach you…_

_Unable to move forward across 'just a little more' distance._

_The way I see before me is always blocked._

_Every time the days I want to see you but can't pile up,_

_My strong heartbeat turns into heartbreak._

_If there is such a thing as 'eternity',_

_I want to believe, even if I have to take the long way._

_Although I know that I've been hurt before because I'm clumsy_

_I won't stop; I won't give in to anyone._

_I think of you_

_and that alone is enough_

_to make the tears start to flow now_

_I always, always wish_

_that these fleeting thoughts_

_would reach you…_

_Thinking of you made me cry, so my eyes_

_they were filled with tears, and all I've got,_

_is my will to be with you again._

_I've known all too well about pretending to be strong._

_But since then, my doubts have vanished._

_There's definitely things I want to show you_

_and so many words I want to hear_

_I want to see all sides of you, when you laugh and cry_

_so I'll stop waiting_

_and seize my 'chance'._

_I think of you_

_and that alone is enough_

_to make my heart grow stronger._

_My distant voice can't reach you now, but so that someday_

_it definitely will…_

_Thinking of you made me cry, so many times_

_the only thing that made me strong was you,_

_and I have my will to be with you someday…_

_I wake from my sleep and face the day,_

_But I have the hope to reach you someday,_

_I cannot go on take other steps,_

'_cause my way's not easy to go._

_No, even I do really wanna see you,_

_I need to take my time,_

_spend some days alone, being by myself, will be all I do._

_If, doesn't exist an everlasting love, in which I could believe,_

_I got hurt because, I was very awkward_

_know it but I don't want no losing, no!_

_I think of you,_

_and I feel like that alone is enough_

_to make my heart grow stronger._

_I always, always wish_

_that these fleeting thoughts_

_would reach you…_

_Thinking of you made me cry, so my eyes_

_they were filled with tears, and all I've got,_

_is my will to be with you again._

_I felt like I was so independent, then I kept the words, and I want you to know,_

_you are the one who made me smile when it summed up, too, for a face._

_I waste more time, then, go to take the chance to say these things to you,_

_when the day will come, I'll be strong enough_

_my quest for peace allowed,_

_no chance to sound._

_I think of you_

_and that alone is enough_

_to make my heart grow stronger._

_My distant voice can't reach you now, but so that someday_

_it definitely will…_

_Thinking of you made me cry, so many times_

_the only thing that made me strong was you,_

_and I have my will to be with you someday…_

_I think of you,_

_and I feel like that alone is enough_

_to make my heart grow stronger._

_I always, always wish_

_that these fleeting thoughts_

_would reach you…_

_Thinking of you made me cry, so my eyes_

_they were filled with tears, and all I've got,_

_is my will to be with you again._

_Believe. La la la la la la…_

_Believe. La la la la la la…_

_Believe. La la la la la la…"_

Rin finished her song and turned to Kohaku with a look of longing in her eyes. She couldn't hold herself back any longer and she threw herself at the demon slayer, burrowing her face in his chest, nearly knocking them off the cliff in the process.

"Rin?" said Kohaku in surprise. He was confused by her behavior. This was so unlike her.

"That song was for you, Kohaku." She said. "Just for you."

Kohaku was confused. "Rin… what do you mean?"

Rin's grip on his shirt tightened as she looked up into his eyes. "Rin loves you, Kohaku. Rin really, really loves you."

Kohaku was taken aback. She loved him? Did he hear her right? Yes, he was sure he did. She didn't even need to tell him, her eyes said it all.

His mind was yelling at him to say something, _anything._ But all he could manage to say was her name again. "Rin…"

"It's true!" Rin cried, interrupting him. "Master Jaken says that Rin is too young to know what love is, but Rin knows, she _knows!_ She may be young, but Rin loves you!"

She buried her face in his chest again as she hugged him. Kohaku hugged her back, stroking her hair as he tried to think of something to say. "Rin, I… you really mean that?"

She nodded. "Yes, Rin does." She looked back up at him. "Does Kohaku love Rin?"

Kohaku knew what she was talking about. She didn't mean that she loved him in a brotherly way or in a friendship way. She _love_ loved him. And she wanted to know if he returned her feelings.

Suddenly he remembered what Sesshomaru had said to him about having his blessings. The demon lord had known of Rin's feelings back then. That was why he had been curious about how he felt about Rin, and why he gave him his blessings.

But then what Rin had told him about Jaken saying that they were too young came to him. Perhaps they were young, but so what? That didn't change the way he felt. And he did return her feelings, in the same way. Ages be damned, he loved her.

He looked into her hopeful eyes and smiled. "Yes, I do."

Rin's face lit up with joy as she hugged him tightly. "Yay! You've made Rin so happy! Rin loves you! Rin loves you! Rin loves you!"

She nearly knocked them over the cliff again. "Whoa, Rin, maybe we should move away from this cliff before we fall off."

Rin nodded, but refused to let go. Kohaku had to pull them both up to their feet as he tried to keep his balance. It didn't look like Rin was going to let go any time soon. He didn't mind though.

Suddenly a thought struck him. "Rin, is this why you were out here thinking?"

Rin nodded. "Yes, Rin wanted to tell you, but she was nervous."

Kohaku chuckled. "Well, you were bravery than me, confessing first." He frowned. "Although, I don't deserve to be loved by you."

Rin just hugged him tighter. "No, Kohaku, no blaming yourself anymore. Rin loves you, and that's that. Ok?"

Kohaku sighed and smiled. "Ok, anything for you."

Rin loosened her grip, but still kept a tight hold on him. "Kohaku, my Kohaku." She looked up at him hopefully. "When we grow up, can we get married?"

Kohaku stopped walking and looked at her in surprise. "Rin, we're a little young to think about that."

"So, Rin still loves you and wants to marry you. Would you marry Rin?"

Kohaku considered it. He could easily see himself spending the rest of his life with Rin, having a family with her. But still, they were just kids. But truth be told, he would like to marry Rin when they grew up. After all, people that were younger than them have been betrothed, and not always because they loved each other.

"Sure Rin, when we grow up, we'll get married." He said, although he still planned on officially asking her when they were the proper age.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"YAY! Rin loves you so much! Rin is so very happy!"

Kohaku winced as she shouted her joy. "Rin, I'm glad you're happy, so am I, but you don't want to attract any demons, do you?" he asked seriously, though he was grinning.

"You'll protect me, won't you?"

He nodded. "With my life."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Unbeknownst to the two of them, they were being watched. Up in the sky, on Kagura's giant feather, was Sesshomaru and the wind-demon herself.

"Well now, isn't that cute?" said Kagura. "They really do make an adorable couple." She looked at Sesshomaru and smirked. "Just think, in a few years you'll be walking her down the aisle."

Sesshomaru growled. "I would prefer not to think about that now. I gave them my blessings, but I will not think of a wedding yet."

Kagura chuckled. "Oh please, just look at them. If that isn't the perfect couple, I don't know what is." She grinned mischievously. "And think about how they'll be in a few years, when 'other' feelings start affecting them." She openly laughed now. "You'll be a grandpa in about 10 years."

Sesshomaru growled, but didn't say anything.

**(A/N: Wasn't that sweet? Don't worry, they're not really engaged, they just agreed to get married when they grow up. You see that kind of thing in anime all the time. I hope you liked Rin's confession. I think it worked out well. I thought **_**'My Will'**_** was the perfect song for them, and not just because it's my favorite Inuyasha song. For those of you that don't know, **_**'My Will'**_** was the first ending theme on the show. It's supposed to be the full version of the song, but I'm not sure if the lyrics are right. Ah, whatever. Anyway, now I'm going to focus on Sesshomaru and Kagura, though there will still be romance between Rin and Kohaku, but now that they're out of the way, Sesshomaru can focus on his own feelings, though he did that quite a bit in this chapter. See ya next time.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: Now that Rin and Kohaku have confessed their feelings, things progress nicely for them, but Rin has **_**more**_** questions about relationships. And just to put more pressure on Sesshomaru, mating season begins, increasing his desires, but the season brings out the desires of **_**all**_** the demons, and Kagura has a run in with another male demon.**_


	14. Chapter 14: Mating Season

**(A/N: This is one of my favorite chapters. If you read the preview from last chapter, you should have some idea of what will happen, particularly with a certain demon lord.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 14: Mating Season**

Sesshomaru awoke from yet another erotic dream about Kagura. He couldn't take this anymore. The woman was driving him crazy. It had gotten even harder to control himself now that mating season had begun. All demons became lustful during this time, and it was even worse for demons in love. So Sesshomaru felt like he was in Hell.

He wasn't the only one feeling the affects of mating season. Kagura, Jaken, and Ah-Un were feeling it too. On a few occasions, Sesshomaru noticed Jaken looking at Kagura hungrily. It made Sesshomaru want to kill the little toad-demon. But Kagura wasn't his mate, so he had no claim to her, which left Kagura available to other demons. But the demon lord swore to brutally kill any demon that approached her.

He glanced at the sleeping Rin and Kohaku. He was thankful that humans didn't have a mating season, and even if they did, the two of them were too young to feel its affects. But they had gotten a lot closer since they had confessed; they sometimes shared a few innocent chaste kisses. Sesshomaru dreaded the time when their hormones kicked in and they would begin to do more than share a few kisses. Luckily he wouldn't have to deal with that for a few years.

For now he had to deal with his own desires. If he hadn't had feelings for Kagura, any female demon could satisfy his urges. But all of his desires were aimed at her. The thought of being with any other woman didn't appeal to him. He thought that only happened when two demons became mated. Perhaps it was because his demon side already recognized her as his mate, he just needed to make it official.

His own thoughts surprised him. Did he want Kagura to be his mate? Sure he loved her, but to be his mate. That was permanent, unlike those human marriages.

Sesshomaru took a calming breath and decided to take a walk. He had some serious thinking to do, and he couldn't do it around Kagura when her very presence drove him mad with desire. He cursed the mating season.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kagura sighed as she sat in the shade, trying to keep cool. Mating season was a real nuisance. It was even worse this year since she was actually with someone she wanted to be with rather than Naraku and his minions. And with Sesshomaru always around, it was very difficult to control herself.

Speaking of Sesshomaru, Kagura wondered where he went. He was gone when she and the others had woken up. She figured that he went somewhere to 'cool off'. Even though he appeared to be acting normal, her demon senses could detect the affects that the mating season was having on him. It was making him even more irresistible to her. It was taking all her willpower not to 'jump' him.

"Where do you think Lord Sesshomaru went?" asked Rin.

Kohaku shrugged. "Maybe he went to find something to eat."

Jaken laughed at their lack of knowledge. "Foolish humans. It's more likely that Lord Sesshomaru went to find a female demon. It is mating season after all."

Kagura's eyes narrowed as she was filled with jealousy. She would tear apart any female that dared to touch her Sesshomaru.

Kagura shook her head. _'What am I thinking? He's not mine… But I'll still kill any woman who lays a finger on him!'_

"Why would Lord Sesshomaru want to find a female demon?" asked Rin.

Kagura's jealously was put on hold as she looked at Jaken with interest, wondering how he was going to explain this.

Jaken paled as he realized that he had given out more information than he meant to. "Um… well… you see, during mating season, demons will, um, want to… spend time with other demons."

Rin looked confused. "But, Master Jaken, you're a demon, and Lord Sesshomaru is always with you. So why would he go find another one?"

Jaken smacked his head. "To be more precise, male demons want to spend time with female demons, and female demons want to spend time with males."

"Oh." Rin still looked confused. "But Lady Kagura is here. Why wouldn't he want to spend time with her?"

Jaken laughed. "Ha, as if Lord Sesshomaru would 'spend time' with that wench."

Kagura angrily whipped out her fan and send a gust of wind at the toad-demon, sending him crashing into a tree.

"Watch how you talk about me, toad!" she snapped.

She stood up and walked away, needing some time to herself. Normally anything Jaken said she would just ignore, but when he said that comment that he made really hurt her. Was Sesshomaru repulsed by her because she was one of Naraku's incarnations? She had thought that there was at least something going on between them after that kiss they shared. Or had he really been just trying to prove that he wasn't afraid to love?

No, it couldn't have been only that. The way he had reacted and responded to her presence was more than trying to prove a point. But if he did have feelings for her, or was at least attracted to her, why would he avoid her like this? Most demons would settle for whatever available demon they could find; especially during mating season.

'_You're thinking too much into this.'_ she told herself. _'Sesshomaru isn't the type of person to just settle for anything he can find. But… does that mean that I'm nothing to him?' _That thought hurt. It hurt more than she thought it would. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the phantom pain in her heart. _'Damn, I've got it bad. No wonder he sees love as a weakness if it affects you like this. There's so much pain and confusion if the one you love doesn't return her feelings.'_

She plucked the feather from her hair and took flight. Flying always calmed her down. Being a wind-demon, she loved the feeling of the wind blowing in her face as she flew; it was soothing.

Her peaceful flight was interrupted by a spear flying towards her. She managed to avoid it, but just barely. Her eyes scanned the forest beneath her, looking for whoever or whatever had the nerve to attack her.

"What the hell was that?" she seethed.

She redirected her feather to come in for a landing. No one just openly attacked her and got away with it.

"Alright, who threw that spear?" she shouted. "If you're looking for a fight, you've got one! Now come out and face me, you miserable coward!"

Tree branches shook as her attacker hopped down from his hiding place. It was a tiger-demon and, as far as Kagura knew, she had never seen him before. So why the hell did he attack her?

"Well, what was that all about?" she demanded.

The tiger-demon just snickered. "Just trying to get your attention."

"Trying to get my attention?" Kagura cried. "There are better ways to get a person's attention!"

She waved her fan, sending her Dance of Blades attack at the tiger-demon. He easily dodged it, moving very quickly for such a big guy.

"No need to get upset, my dear." The demon said. "I have a right to know who's in my forest."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Right, your forest. Sure."

"That's right, my forest. This forest belongs to me, Warumaru. And I just happened to notice you flying over it."

"I can go wherever the hell I want."

The demon, known as Warumaru chuckled. "But of course you can. A lovely demoness like you can indeed go wherever she wants." He grinned at her and inhaled her scent. "A very lovely demoness."

Kagura gave him a disgusted look. "Whatever." She said, plucking her feather.

The tiger-demon moved quickly, and was suddenly in front of her. "Going somewhere?"

Kagura didn't even blinked at his sudden appearance in front of her. "Yes, away from you."

Warumaru took a step closer. "And why would you want to leave?" He sniffed her. "You don't have a mate, and it is mating season." He flexed his large muscles. "Want to find out what it's like to be with a real demon?"

Kagura took a step back, not in fear, but in disgust. "I have more pride than to jump on the first unmated demon I come across, mating season or not."

The tiger-demon just smirked, revealing his pointy teeth. "But I'm not just any demon."

"To me you are. Now get out of my way; I'm not interested."

Warumaru laughed. "Sweetheart, you're an unmated demon in mating season, of course you're interested."

'_Not if you're in love.'_ Thought Kagura. Her body desired the touch of another demon, but there was only one she wanted, and she was repulsed to think about being with anyone else besides Sesshomaru. _'Another reason why Sesshomaru thinks love is a weakness, because you can't satisfy yourself with anyone besides the one you love.'_ But even if she didn't have feelings for Sesshomaru, there was no way in hell she was going to lose her virginity to a demon she just met.

"We're both feeling the season's affects." Warumaru continued. "Lets just go with it."

"I think not."

"Why not?" he asked, taking another step forward. "I'm not asking you to be my mate or to get into a relationship. I'm just suggesting that you and I _enjoy_ ourselves."

Kagura glared at the demon. "You can go _enjoy_ yourself by yourself. I'm sure you can use you hands for something other than throwing spears."

The tiger-demon wiggled his fingers. "Want to see what I can do with these hands?"

Kagura held up her fan in a threatening manner. "No, and if you come any closer you're going to lose those hands." She snapped, annoyed and unafraid.

"A fighter." Warumaru chuckled. "I like fighters."

"Lets see how much you like this. Dance of Blades!"

Warumaru dodged the attack, but he wasn't quite fast enough as half of his tail was cut off. He turned to Kagura, his eyes glowing red.

"Bitch, you're in for it now!"

Kagura smirked. "Oh, I'm so scared. Dance of the Dragon!"

The tiger-demon was surrounded by a tornado. He snarled angrily as blades of wind sliced his flesh.

"You're dead, wench! You could have had a good time, but instead you chose death."

"And you could have chosen to leave me be and gone to find some other unmated demon, but instead you chose to piss me off."

She commanded the tornado to become thinner. The tube of wind shrank, cutting the tiger-demon even worse than before.

"I'm going to kill you!" he cried. "You don't know who I am."

Kagura shrugged. "You're dead."

"No!" Warumaru surprised Kagura by suddenly bursting out of her tornado, nearly getting sliced to pieces in the process. "You're dead!"

Before Kagura could react, he viscously backhanded her, knocking the wind-demon off her feet. He stood over her, struggling to remain on his feet due to the amount of injuries he had.

"Now you'll pay."

His claws extended as he made a move to attack. But his chest suddenly exploded as a hand burst through his ribcage, the claws dripping with poison. Behind the tiger-demon stood Sesshomaru, having been the one to deliver the blow.

"You will not lay a hand on her." the demon lord growled, his eyes glowing red.

Sesshomaru pulled his hand back. The tiger-demon spat out a mouthful of blood as he stumbled forward. Kagura moved away from the bloody fountain Sesshomaru had turned the demon into. She calmly got to her feet, dusting herself off.

"Thanks." She said. Even though she could have easily handled the tiger-demon, she still appreciated his help.

Sesshomaru didn't reply. He was too busy trying to control the urge to rip Warumaru to pieces. And speaking of the tiger-demon, who was holding his hand to the hole in his chest, he turned to the two demons with a look of pure hatred.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Sesshomaru glared at the tiger-demon. "I do not answer to weaklings such as you."

"Weaklings?" the demon repeated. He pointed to the hole in his chest. "I'm still standing after this, and you call me weak. This doesn't even concern you."

Sesshomaru moved in front of Kagura. "The woman is under my protection." He said, giving the demon a look that clearly said, "hands off, she's mine!"

"She's unmated." Warumaru argued, ignoring Sesshomaru's warning look. "I can do whatever I want with her."

"The hell you can!" Kagura shouted. "I'm not some common whore!"

"Shut up, bitch!"

He made a grab for her. Sesshomaru immediately grabbed his arm, digging his claws into the demon's flesh, injected a large amount of poison in the process.

"I said you will not lay a hand on her." he repeated.

To prove his point, he completely crushed the tiger-demon's arm. Warumaru cried out in pain, pulling his crushed arm back.

"Bastard, I'll kill you!"

He began shifting to his demon form, but Sesshomaru didn't give him the chance to complete the transformation. He lunged at the demon, slamming him against a tree with his claws digging into his face.

"Die." He hissed.

Sesshomaru did the same thing to the demon's head that he did his arm, completely crushing his skull. Warumaru's body shuddered for a few moments, before stilling. Sesshomaru took a step back, feeling very unsatisfied. He unsheathed Tenseiga and brought the tiger-demon back to life. Warumaru was alive for less than five seconds before Sesshomaru killed him again, this time completely mutilating his body.

Feeling a lot better, Sesshomaru got himself under control. He turned to Kagura, who was eyeing him curiously.

"What was that all about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, referring to the mess he had made of Warumaru.

Sesshomaru cursed himself for not controlling himself, but seeing what that tiger-demon was about to do to Kagura had awakened his inner demon that demanded Warumaru's life, twice.

"He attacked you when you were under my protection." He told her. Kagura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Sesshomaru saw that she didn't fully believe him, so he added, "And he dared to insult and attack this Sesshomaru."

Kagura sighed. "If you say so."

Feeling annoyed, though he didn't show it, Sesshomaru turned and began to walk away. "Let us return to the others." He said, using this as an excuse to drop the conversation.

Kagura wasn't fooled.

**(A/N: A jealous Sesshomaru, now that's scary, and you've got to love Kagura's smart mouth. I love how I had Warumaru brought back to life, just so Sesshomaru could kill him again. And Kagura could tell that he was feeling jealous. You know she's going to use that to her advantage. So tell me what you think of this chapter, and I'll be back with a new one.)**

_**Preview for next chapter:**__** Sesshomaru makes a decision on what to do about Kagura. He tries to find a way to admit his feelings to her, but she ends up misunderstanding his feelings and gets angry with him.**_


	15. Chapter 15: A Demon's Love

**(A/N: This chapter certainly took a long time to write, but it's one of my favorites. There's lots of romance, drama, and humor. We even see a side of Sesshomaru that he never reveals to anyone. I better stop now before I give out anymore spoilers.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 15: A Demon's Love**

He couldn't take it anymore. It was only the beginning of mating season and he was hardly able to control himself any longer. His demon side just told him to take her, and to hell with the consequences, but his rational side kept him in check. He didn't want Kagura as just some 'mating season entertainment', he wanted _her_.

Kagura was having pretty much the same thoughts as Sesshomaru. She had gone through mating season only once before, since she was technically only about two years old. She knew exactly what her demon instincts wanted, but she was more hesitant to act on them due to her lack of experience. And all her desires were aimed at the mighty Lord of the Western Lands.

Kagura sighed. _'Why me? Why did I have to fall in love with _him_ of all people? I mean, what are the odds of him having feelings for me.'_

"Lady Kagura, are you sure you're ok?" Rin asked again.

"I'm fine." Kagura replied. Rin had asked her if she was all right several times, and she constantly repeated that she was fine.

Rin cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure? You have been acting funny for several days now." She tapped her chin. "Actually, Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken, and Ah-Un have been acting rather strange too."

Kagura patted the girl on the head. "It's nothing for you to worry about."

"But-"

"It's a demon thing." Said Kohaku. Being a demon slayer, he knew _exactly_ what was affecting them.

"What kind of demon thing? Tell Rin."

"It's nothing for you to worry about." Sesshomaru replied, trying to keep his distance from Kagura, less he be unable to hold himself back any longer.

"But Rin wants to know."

"When you're older."

Rin pouted. "Why does Rin always have to wait until she is older to know everything?" _'Because you're too young to understand.'_

"Because you're too young to understand."

Rin sighed and let the subject drop… for now.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Later that night, Sesshomaru came to a decision. And he was happy with what he had decided, which actually surprised him. He knew that once he ended up figuring this out that he would feel something, but 'happy' was something he had not expected. Normally he felt content with everything, so this was an interesting turn of events. And he knew that if everything went the way he hoped that he would become very familiar with this emotion.

The demon lord looked over at Kohaku and Rin. They would be fine on their own for a few days. And they wouldn't be alone, Jaken and Ah-Un would be with them.

"Jaken." He said, startling the toad-demon.

"Y-Yes, milord." He asked, thinking he did something wrong.

"I am leaving for a few days. You are to watch Rin and Kohaku."

Jaken blinked in confusion. "Why me? Why not Kagura?"

"Because she is coming with me."

Kagura looked up in surprise. "I am?"

Sesshomaru turned to her. "I had hoped you would accompany me. This Sesshomaru would appreciate your presence."

Kagura blushed. "S-Sure."

"Where are you going?" asked Rin. "Or can Rin not know until she's older?" she joked.

"It's just business." Sesshomaru replied.

Kagura frowned. She had gone and gotten her hopes up that just maybe Sesshomaru had wanted to spend some time alone with her.

'_Guess I was hoping for too much.'_ She thought, plucking her feather. "Well, where do you want to go?" she asked.

Sesshomaru shook his head. "This time I shall provide our means of transportation." He said.

A cloud of sparkling dust surrounded his feet, lifting the demon lord off the ground. Kagura raised an eyebrow at this ability.

"Interesting." She said. "But why do you need Ah-Un if you can fly on your own?"

Jaken waved his staff at her. "Do you really expect Lord Sesshomaru to waste his energy doing something as insignificant as flying when someone else can do it for him?"

"Jaken, be silent." Sesshomaru ordered. He held out his remaining hand to Kagura. "If you are ready."

Kagura was surprised by his strange behavior, this was so unlike him, but she took his hand all the same, blushing as he helped her onto the dust cloud.

"Such a gentleman." She teased.

Sesshomaru had to hide the smile that dared to appear on his face as he commanded the dust cloud to take lift off. Rin waved goodbye, smiling enthusiastically.

"Bye, Lord Sesshomaru! Bye, Lady Kagura! Good luck with whatever you're going to do!"

Sesshomaru didn't reply, but Kagura waved to her and the others, watching as they vanished in the sea of trees.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

Sesshomaru was silent for a moment, but then he said, "To have some time away from everything else. Consider this as a vacation."

Kagura liked the sound of that. "I've never had a vacation. That damn Naraku always worked me to the bone." Then she remembered something. "Wait, a vacation? I thought you said that this was a business trip."

"I lied." He said simply.

The two of them were silent as Sesshomaru brought them to the place he had in mind. Kagura was rather surprised by the scenery. There was a waterfall that poured into the clearest crystal lake that ran into a stream. The light of the moon reflected off the water, providing the area with a silver glow. It was, dare she say it, romantic.

"Why did you bring us here?" she asked curiously.

Once again, he paused before answering. "I thought you might enjoy the scenery."

He had been thinking of her? _'How considerate.'_ "Well… thank you."

She walked over to the lake and sat down, dipping her feet in the water. Sesshomaru was content with just watching her for the time being. He wasn't sure how long he stood there watching for, but eventually he found himself slowly approaching the wind-demon. He also found, much to his surprise, that he was nervous. Him, Sesshomaru, was nervous. He never would have believed it had he not been the one feeling the emotion.

"What's on your mind?" Kagura asked, when she noticed that he was standing beside her.

"Many things." He replied. He wasn't looking at her, but at the sparkling lake before them. "Kagura, when you got your heart back, that only freed you from Naraku's hold over you. He will still want you dead for your betrayal. You won't truly be free of him until he is dead."

Kagura sighed, but knew that he spoke the truth. "I know. But I swear that I will see him dead."

"This Sesshomaru has already sworn to put an end to Naraku's life. And I intend to keep that promise." He paused for a moment. "What do you plan to do once he is dead and you are truly free from him?"

Kagura frowned. She was surprised by his question. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I am curious."

'_He's curious about me? That's new.'_ "I'm not exactly sure. To be honest, I never thought beyond getting free of Naraku. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I have nothing planned."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "You don't desire to find a mate and start a family?"

Again, she was surprised by the question. _'Why the hell is he asking me that?'_ "Someday. Yes, I would like a mate, children, a family, but not just any old demon that wants me for my body or my power. I've already been offered that and I don't want it."

"A wise decision." said Sesshomaru. "Many demons chose any mate simply for the sake of having a mate or to gain power."

Kagura shrugged. "Well, I'm not one of them. I want more than that. But like I said, I haven't thought about it before." She looked up at the handsome dog-demon. "What about you? What are your plans after Naraku is dead?"

"This Sesshomaru had originally set out to find the Tetsusaiga. But then Naraku dared to challenge me. After I slay him I shall return to my castle and build up my empire."

Kagura nodded. "I see. And do you have any plans to have a family of your own?"

"As Lord of the Western Lands, it is required for me to have a mate and an heir." He replied.

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but do you want one?"

Sesshomaru didn't reply right away. "Originally, this Sesshomaru did not care whether he had a family or not. But that has changed. Now this Sesshomaru would like a family." He glanced at Kagura. "And I already have a someone I intend to take as my mate."

Kagura froze. He already had someone in mind? Of course he did, she should have realized it. He was the Lord of the Western Lands. He probably had suitors thrown at him daily. He was over 70 years old, by now he would surely have found an intended mate.

'_Probably some rich and powerful demoness that owns a nice piece of land.'_ She thought, feeling _very_ jealous. _'It's always about power, isn't it. I was a fool to think I had even the slightest chance with him. You idiot, you're Naraku's daughter! Why would he even look at you in anything other than disgust or pity?'_

Kagura felt her heart break. The phantom pain she felt in her chest was a thousand times worse than when Naraku had crushed her heart. She stood up. She had to get away. She couldn't stand to be in his presence any longer. Tears were threatening to escape her eyes, and the last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Sesshomaru.

"Kagura?" said Sesshomaru. Even though she was fighting against them, he could smell the salt of her tears.

"I'm leaving." She said, plucking her feather.

"Leaving?" Sesshomaru repeated. "Why? Where are you going?"

Kagura's temper flared up. "What's it matter to you?" she snapped. "I don't know why you're even here with me when you already have an intended mate! Why don't you go back to her and leave me alone!"

And she was off, gone like the wind. Sesshomaru was taken aback by her sudden outburst. Once he recovered from his surprise, he understood her reaction. She had misunderstood him. She had thought that he had an intended mate waiting for him back at his castle. The thought would have been amusing had the situation been different.

Sesshomaru turned into a ball of light and went after her. He was not going to let her leave him; he _couldn't_ let her leave him. She belonged to him and him alone. Not to Naraku, not to Kouga, and not to that damn tiger-demon, but to _him_. And he would make her see that.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

When she thought she was far away enough, she let the tears flow. Damn it, she really hated crying. It made her feel weak and pathetic. She cursed her foolishness. She didn't know why she didn't see this coming. From the day she had started to fall for the demon lord, she should have expected that she would have her heart broken.

'_Why, out of every person in this world, did I have to fall for _him_ of all people? It's so unfair. Is my life meant to be miserable? Was I truly meant to be what Naraku created me for, a slave with no life of my own?'_

For the first time ever, she wished that she had never wandered away from Naraku. If she had been the good little slave girl her father had intended her to be, then she wouldn't have repeatedly gone to see Sesshomaru and fallen in love with him.

It was strange the way things worked out. At first Sesshomaru had been nothing more than a way for her to escape from Naraku. But somewhere along the line she had fallen for him. Why, oh why, did she have to fall for him?

Her feather began to wobble a bit. She couldn't focus on flying when she was this upset. It would be best to calm down a bit before continuing her… _escape._

She landed by the stream, the very one that led to the waterfall she had left Sesshomaru at. Kagura went over to the water and looked at her tear-streaked face. She looked half as bad as she felt.

"Look at yourself." She said to her reflection. "I guess Sesshomaru was right; love does make you weak."

She took a handful of water and washed her face. What was she going to do now? She couldn't stand to be around Sesshomaru knowing that she couldn't have him; knowing that he didn't return her love. She would have to leave.

But what about Kohaku and Rin? She couldn't just leave them, could she? Kohaku was like her little brother; in fact, he was more her brother than those other bloodthirsty creatures Naraku had created. And Rin, she had already won the wind-demon's heart. She adored both of them, and they cared for her in return. She didn't think she could leave them behind. But she knew that Rin would never leave Sesshomaru and she knew that Kohaku would never leave Rin. So her only options were to leave or to stay. Both choices were painful.

Kagura sighed as she looked back down at her reflection. She was so lost in her despair that she didn't even notice the arrival of the demon that was causing her all this emotional pain. Not until she saw his reflection join hers.

Trying to hide her anguish, she gave his reflection an angry look, refusing to face the demon lord. "I left to get away from you." she seethed. "Why did you follow me?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "Because this Sesshomaru was not finished speaking."

Kagura stood up, still refusing to face the dog-demon. "Well _this Kagura_ is done listening." She said, mocking him.

She began to walk away but stopped when Sesshomaru rested his hand on her shoulder. "Don't." he said. "There has been a misunderstanding."

Kagura gave a forced laugh. "A misunderstanding? I think not. You have made your intentions perfectly clear. Now leave me alone."

She shook his hand off her and began to walk away again. But Sesshomaru grabbed her arm, not too hard, but firm enough to stop her and prevent her from leaving.

"Kagura." He whispered. "Look at me."

"Why?" she asked coldly. "I know exactly what you look like." _'I see your face every time I close my eyes.'_ "I don't need to look at you."

He breathed her name again. "Kagura, look at me."

Sighing in frustration, she turned to him. "Well, what is…"

She trailed off as she saw something she never thought she or anyone else would ever see. Sesshomaru had dropped his emotionless mask. All his barriers were gone as he let her see just what he was feeling.

Kagura was caught completely off guard. She was utterly speechless. "Sess-Sesshomaru?"

His soft eyes bore into hers. "Kagura, you misunderstood what I meant when I said that I had an intended mate."

Kagura dared to allow herself to feel the smallest spark of hope. "What did you mean?" she whispered.

Sesshomaru chose his words carefully. "For the longest time, this Sesshomaru did not love or even believe in love. But much has changed. I have learned what it is like to love and be loved by."

Kagura looked away. "I assume you're talking about Rin." She said sadly, not wanting to let herself get her hopes up that he was actually talking about her.

He took her chin and gently turned her to face him again. "Rin has indeed had an impact on me, but she is not the only one. You have as well. I have indeed come to love. The mate that this Sesshomaru intends to take is _you,_ Kagura."

Kagura took a step back, her eyes wide in surprise. "What? M-Me?"

He filled in the gap she made. "You." he repeated. "This Sesshomaru wants you as his mate."

This was too good to be true. She had to be dreaming. That was the only explanation for this. Something like this would never happen to her in real life.

"How can you want me?" she asked. "I'm the spawn of Naraku."

"One does not choose their parents." Sesshomaru told her. "Your father's way of life does not affect this Sesshomaru's opinion of you. You are your own person."

"But why me of all people?" She didn't know why she was asking these questions; this was all she ever wanted.

"Because you are the one this Sesshomaru has fallen for." He placed his hand on her back and gently pulled her towards him, earning him a blush from the wind-demon. "Will you be this Sesshomaru's mate?"

Tears once again crept into Kagura's eyes as she struggled to find her voice. He was asking _her_ to be his _mate_. This was unbelievable, and she meant that in a good way.

Her fan dropped from her grasp as she took hold of Sesshomaru's robes, burying her face in them. "I never thought you would ever return my feelings." She told him. "I thought I was a fool to fall for you. But if there were ever a person that I would want for a mate, it would be you and you alone. So my answer to you is yes. I will be your mate, Sesshomaru."

She looked up at him and saw him _smiling._ She had made _Sesshomaru_ smile. His golden yellow eyes looked into hers and she saw the love in them he had for her. Love and lust. No, not lust, _desire._

Sesshomaru moved forward to kiss her, but Kagura held her hand up to stop him. "Tell me first." She begged. "Please, tell me."

He smiled at her again. "I love you." he said, and their lips met.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

When Kagura woke up she felt very sore, but _very_ satisfied. Sesshomaru lay next to her with his one arm wrapped around her tightly. She smiled when she felt him nuzzle her neck in his sleep. She still couldn't believe that this was happening to her. She was mated to Sesshomaru. Even now she still expected to wake up and find this to be all a dream. But it wasn't.

When she tried to move away, Sesshomaru tightened his hold on her. Smiling, she carefully removed his arm from around her. She went over to the stream, got a handful of water, and quenched her thirst.

Once the water stopped rippling, she looked down at her reflection. She was a mess. She certainly looked like a woman who had some good long loving. Sesshomaru had indeed shown her the greatest of pleasures. They had made love in every possible way for several days and nights straight. This made Kagura very glad that she was a demon and was capable of going on for several days without eating or sleeping, but exhaustion had finally gotten the better of them.

Moving her hair out of the way, she looked at the mating mark on neck, similar to the one Sesshomaru now bore on his neck. Their auras merging as one as they marked each other had been the greatest experience in the world. This mark meant that they belonged to each other, body, heart, and soul forever, and she couldn't be happier about it.

Suddenly an arm snaked around her, and she was pulled against Sesshomaru's muscular chest. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

Kagura smirked. "Missing me already?"

He nuzzled her neck. "It is natural for me to miss the warmth of my mate."

He inhaled her sweet scent. The stench of Naraku was no longer upon her; his had replaced it. Now that they were mated, he would never have to smell that half-demon's scent on her again. He took in her lovely aroma again. She smelled even better than before. Her scent was intoxicating. He nipped her pointy ear affectionately, causing her to shiver. He smiled at her reaction. There hadn't been a single inch of her that he hadn't tasted or touched, and yet he wanted more. He would always want more.

Kagura sighed and leaned back against him, twirling around his silvery white hair with her finger. "So when do you think we should head back?" she asked.

"Why would you want to go back?" he teased. "Have I not satisfied you?"

Oh he had satisfied her all right. His concubine, or what used to be his concubine now that he was mated, must have really enjoyed his visits. But if one of them so much as looked at him in a way she didn't like, she would kill them.

"It's not that." She said. "It's just that we've been gone for eight days now. Don't you think Jaken has suffered enough?"

"I don't care about Jaken." Sesshomaru replied. "This Sesshomaru has desired you for far too long, and I intend to get my fill."

Kagura chuckled. "We have our whole lives to get our fill, My Lord."

He moved her hair out of the way and kissed her neck. "This Sesshomaru will never have his fill of you, My Lady."

Kagura's eyes widened at the 'My Lady' comment. "L-Lady?"

"Lady of the Western Lands to be precise." He said. "Are you displeased with your new title?"

She turned to face him and shook her head. "Oh no, it's not that. I'm just… surprised. I had never thought about that being part of it." She ran her finger up his chest. "All I wanted was you."

He pulled her to him. "And now you have me." He said, tracing small circles over the spider shaped mark on her back. It did feel strangely erotic, just like in his dream; though this was a hell of a lot better than any dream. "And you also have the title as Lady of the Western Lands."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, getting as close as possible. "Lady of the Western Lands." She repeated. "The thought is overwhelming. I never thought I would be anything more than just another demon."

"You are anything but." Sesshomaru told her. "Just another demon could never win this Sesshomaru's heart."

Kagura smiled. "Well, just another demon could never win mine either, but you pulled it off."

Sesshomaru pressed his lips to hers. "Then I shall take my reward."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Master Jaken, when are Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kagura coming back?" asked Rin.

Jaken groaned. "For that last time, _I DON'T KNOW!_ Lord Sesshomaru said that he would be back in a few days, and that is the most I know on the subject."

"But they've been gone 14 days!" Rin cried.

Jaken glared at her. "He probably got tired of you crying and decided to leave me with you two brats."

Rin shook her head. "Lord Sesshomaru would never leave Rin!"

Kohaku gave the toad-demon a dirty look. "Stop it, Jaken. You know that's not true. Why are you upsetting her?"

"Don't be so surprised if it is true." Jaken snapped, waving his staff at him. "I'm actually surprised he let you stick around as long as he did. It's about time he left you behind. Oh, but milord, why did you have to leave your poor servant, Jaken, behind?" He screamed out his frustration before glaring accusingly at the two children. "It's your fault! I got stuck baby-sitting you, and now I can't help milord!"

Rin ran over to Kohaku and buried her face in his chest. "Kohaku, make him stop!" she cried, getting his shirt wet.

"Cut it out, Jaken! Sesshomaru won't be happy to know that you upset her."

"If he comes back, you mean!" Jaken shouted. He normally wasn't this harsh with them, but he was in a foul mood. Having to baby-sit for 14 days was a real drag; not to mention he was sexually frustrated since he hadn't satisfied the urges the mating season had brought. "You two chased him away! He finally got fed up with your behavior and-"

_Bonk!_ A rock collided with his head, knocking the toad-demon off his feet. Tears formed in his eyes as a large bump appeared on his head.

"Ow! What miserable bastard threw that?" he demanded.

In response, Sesshomaru's foot stomped down on his back, crushing him into the dirt.

"That would be me." The demon lord said.

Jaken made a funny noise. "Oh, milord, you've returned." He groaned.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried. She ran at the demon lord and hugged his leg. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, Rin missed you so much! Master Jaken was being so mean to Rin! Why did you go away for so long? Please don't leave Rin for so long again!"

The ghost of a smile appeared on Sesshomaru's lips. "Calm yourself, Rin. I have not been gone that long."

Kagura appeared behind him, smiling down at the young girl. "Hello, Rin. No hug for me?"

"Lady Kagura!" Rin cried with equal joy, running to hug the wind-demon. "You too! Never leave Rin that long again!" Kagura chuckled a ruffled the girl's hair, earning a giggle from her. She turned to Kohaku, grinning happily. "Look, Kohaku, Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kagura came back!"

The demon slayer smiled. "I see that, Rin."

Beneath Sesshomaru's foot, Jaken managed to speak. "Uh, milord, might you be removing your foot. You're going to break my spine. That'll take months to heal."

Rin looked down at Jaken as if she had just noticed his position for the first time. "Uh, oh. Lord Sesshomaru, I think you're stepping on Master Jaken. You should really let him up."

Thinking that his servant had been punished enough, Sesshomaru did as Rin asked and removed his foot. Jaken's body went limp, save for his heavy panting.

"Thank you, milord. It's good to have you back. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, where did you go?"

"To take care of some business." Sesshomaru replied.

"What sort of business, milord?"

"That is none of your concern."

Jaken forced himself to his feet. "Whatever you say, milord." Using his staff to steady himself, he turned to Kagura and glared at her. "I see you came back as well."

Kagura smirked. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you… you…" Jaken trailed off as he noticed something different about Kagura. Her scent had changed. And now that he wasn't being crushed, he noticed that Sesshomaru's did too. Curiously, he crept over to his master and sniffed carefully.

Sesshomaru looked down and narrowed his eyes at the toad-demon. "Jaken, what are you doing?"

Jaken jumped back fearfully. "I, uh, was just curious about something, milord. Your scent seems to have changed."

Rin frowned, looking confused. "Changed? What does he mean, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru ignored her. "That is none of your concern." He growled warningly at the toad-demon. "Do not question this Sesshomaru again, Jaken."

Jaken retreated back several feet. "Y-Yes, milord! Forgive me! I was merely curious! But I had no right to get involved! Please forgive me!"

Rin giggled at Jaken's antics. "Master Jaken, you really shouldn't try to make Lord Sesshomaru mad."

"I don't _try_ to make him mad!" the toad-demon shouted.

Kagura cast a gust of wind at him. "You need to cool off." She said. "There's no need to shout."

Jaken turned angrily to her. "Oh shut up! And what's your story? Your scent has changed too!"

Kagura used her fan to hide her smirk. "That is none of your concern." She told him, repeating Sesshomaru's words.

"It's my concern when it involves my lord and master! Now tell me why you smell of Lord Sessho…"

He trailed off as the truth hit him, and judging by the smile on Kagura's face, his suspicions were right. Sesshomaru's scent wasn't _on_ Kagura, it was mixed with her own scent. Oh, they had made sure to clean up after their _activities_, but they still carried each other's scent, and would from this day forward. That could only mean one thing.

"AH! YOU MATED WITH HER!" Jaken yelled. "Lord Sesshomaru, how could you do such a thing? You chose this wench for your mate over every other demoness? She's Naraku's wench! How could you do this?" He pointed his staff at Kagura in a threatening manner. "You! You did this! You tricked my master! You hoodwinked him somehow into taking you as his mate just so you could be the Lady of the Western Lands! You will pay for thi-"

His rambling was cut off by Sesshomaru kicking him, sending the toad-demon crashing into a tree.

"You will never speak to her that way again, Jaken. Do you understand? _Never_ again."

Jaken struggled to look at the dog-demon. "But, milord, she's tricked you into-"

"Do you think me so weak to be fooled in such a way?" he growled. "Do you think this Sesshomaru _ever_ acts on an impulse without thinking things through?"

Jaken suddenly realized his mistake, his very _big_ mistake. "Oh no, milord! Please forgive poor Jaken! I do not know what came over me! Of course you could never be fooled in such a way! I was the fool, to think otherwise! I am so sorry. Please have mercy on-"

"Jaken, be silent!" Sesshomaru snapped. "I grow tired of your ranting. Do not speak ill of my decisions again. And you are to refer to my mate as Lady Kagura, and are to show her the same respect you do me."

Jaken hung his head. "Yes, milord."

Rin looked from Sesshomaru, to Kagura, to Jaken, and back again, looking confused. She turned to Kohaku for answers. "Mated? Does that mean that Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kagura are married?"

Kohaku scratched the back of his head. "Well, sort of. You seem, demons…" He trailed off, looking into Rin's hopeful face. He sighed, figuring that married would be the best way for Rin to understand the situation. "Yes, Rin, they are."

He put his fingers in his ears to bloke out Rin's joyful cry.

"RIN KNEW IT!"

**(A/N: That ends this chapter. Isn't it great, Sesshomaru and Kagura are mated. Everyone certainly seems happy about it. Well, except for Jaken. I wanted to add a bit of drama, which was why I included Kagura misunderstanding Sesshomaru's intentions. And Kagura was the first person he completely let his guard down to. He let her see exactly what he was feeling. I know he was a little out of character, but I don't think I drifted too far away from his personality. Anyway, now that he and Kagura are mates, how do you think Naraku is going to react? There is still a lot more to come, so stay tuned. I look forward to your reviews, so give me your opinion on this chapter.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**: It's a family reunion as Sesshomaru's group run into the Shikon Hunters. Sango discovers that Kohaku is free from Naraku's control, and is very much alive. Inuyasha discovers that Kagura is his new sister-in-law.**_


	16. Chapter 16: Family Reunion

**(A/N: I'm sure that after my preview from last time you've all been dying to read this chapter. How is Inuyasha going to react to his new sister-in-law? Please, how do think he's going to act?)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 16: Family Reunion**

Byakuya was really getting frustrated. Where the hell was his damn sister? She couldn't have just disappeared. He really wished that he had just killed her when he had the chance. All this searching and tracking was driving him crazy. Why hadn't he at least left a piece of himself behind again? That way he would be able to find them again right away.

He came to a place where he had picked up Kagura's scent that was still fresh. But judging by how strong the smell was, he guessed that he had missed her and the others by just a couple of days.

"I've had enough of this." he growled.

He brought his paper crane in for a landing. Once on the ground, he unsheathed his sword and plunged it into the ground. A bright light emitted from the ground, drawing in the demons in the surrounding area. They were all, what superior demons like him, referred to as lesser demons, similar to the ones that Naraku used.

"Good day." He addressed them. "I am in need of your assistance. You see, I am looking for a few people I need to kill that have recently been in the area. Have any of you seen where they've gone?"

One of the demons floated over to him. "What makes you think we'll help you?" it demanded.

Byakuya just smirked. "I thought we might run into something like this." He said, reaching into his robes. "That's why I'm prepared."

He pulled out small origami soldiers. He tossed them in the air and they flew at the demons. All the demons were possessed by the paper soldiers.

Byakuya smirked. "I trust that you will now be a bit more cooperative."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Master Jaken, where do Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kagura go every night?" asked Rin.

Jaken tripped over his own feet, surprised by the unexpected question. He gave Rin a horrified look. "W-W-What? What are you talking about?"

Rin cocked her head to the side. "Well, sometimes Rin wakes up at night and they're not here. Where do they go?"

Jaken made a frustrated growling noise. He knew _exactly_ where his lord and lady disappeared to every night, and _what_ they did while they were away. It had happened every night so far. But sometimes they wouldn't be far enough away and Jaken's demon hearing picked up 'things'.

'_Why did Kagura have to be a moaner?'_ he thought in frustration. Jaken couldn't wait until the mating season was over. He knew that wouldn't stop his masters' so-called 'nightly activities', but the uncontrollable urges that the season brought would reduce greatly, then they could actually focus on Naraku again.

"Master Jaken?"

Jaken shook his head. "That is none of your business!"

Kohaku sighed. Why was Jaken so impatient with Rin? She was only curious. "They go do grownup things." He told her.

"Grownup things?" Rin repeated. "Oh, this is one of those things Rin won't understand until she's older, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

Sesshomaru, who had been listening in on the conversation resisted the urge to sigh in relief. He didn't want to have to explain to Rin about mating yet, not for a very long time.

Taking his eyes off his ward, he settled them on his beautiful mate. He still couldn't believe that Naraku had managed to create a goddess like her. And she was entirely his. He would never get enough of her. In fact, he couldn't wait for tonight when they would sneak away. Just the two of them.

Just the two of them. The thought brought forth frown. As much as he enjoyed their moments alone, he couldn't help but worry about Rin and the others while he and Kagura were away. But mating season made him unable to resist his mate and vice versa.

"Lord Sesshomaru, look! Look!" Rin cried.

Sesshomaru managed to tear his gaze away from his wind-demon long enough to see what Rin was pointing to. Up in the sky were five of Naraku's poisonous insects.

"Saimyōshō." He murmured.

"Those damn bugs." Kagura seethed. "No doubt they're up to no good."

"Do you think they can lead us to Naraku?" asked Jaken.

"They won't." said Kohaku, wishing he could slay the insects. "With Akago gone, Naraku will be more cautious. The Saimyōshō won't go back to Naraku while we're following."

Kagura plucked the feather from her hair. "Then there is no reason to keep them alive. I'll deal with them."

Sesshomaru was reluctant to let his mate go off on her own, but he knew better than to stop her. Kagura held the deepest hatred for Naraku, along with anyone who _willingly_ worked for him.

The Saimyōshō immediately flew away as Kagura went after them. She had wanted to swat some of Naraku's pesky insects for the longest time. So many times there had been things she wanted to do but was unable to because those damn bugs were watching her, always watching her.

"Dance of Blades!"

The Saimyōshō were sliced to pieces. Kagura smirked in satisfaction. "That felt good." She said.

She laid back on her feather, staring up at the sky. She felt happy, which was an emotion she very rarely felt while under Naraku's control. But that bastard no longer could make her do what he wanted. She was free, as free as the wind. And it had been all thanks to Sesshomaru.

'_Who would have thought that I would end up here?'_ she thought, with a sigh.

The wind blew gently, carrying a certain scent with it. Kagura's eyes snapped open as she recognized the scent.

"Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise." She said. "Who would have thought I would run into them here."

She sat up and directed her feather towards the source of the scent. This was going to be fun.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Kagome!" the little fox-demon, Shippo, cried. "Inuyasha is being mean to me! Make him sit!"

The half-demon turned fearfully to priestess from the future. "Kagome, wait!"

"Sit boy!"

_Thump!_

The rosary beads reacted to the word of submission, pulling Inuyasha to the ground. He pulled his face out of the dirt, glaring at the girl responsible for his pain.

"Why do you do this to me?" he growled.

Kagome folded her arms and turned her chin up. "Well, you shouldn't have been making fun of Shippo."

Inuyasha was on his feet, looking furious. "Oh, like he never teased me about my love life."

"Inuyasha, Shippo is but a child." The monk known as Miroku told him. "He has a right to have some fun."

"Besides," said Miroku's fiancée, Sango, the demon slayer, "I think Shippo and his knew girlfriend are really cute together."

Shippo blushed, making Kagome chuckle at the coloring in his face. "Oh, Shippo, don't be embarrassed. You and Souten are absolutely adorable together."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Keh, did you forget that she wanted to kill him when they first met?"

Kagome merely cocked her head to the side. "So, you wanted to kill me when we first met."

Inuyasha ignored her comment. "And don't forget that she's the sister of the Thunder Brothers. Those guys were bad news."

"So, Sesshomaru is your brother, and he's not the nicest person in the world."

Inuyasha cut his eyes at her. "You'll say anything to make Shippo happy, won't you?"

"Pretty much." She said, smiling innocently. Inuyasha looked like he was ready to explode. "Oh, come on, Inuyasha. I make you happy too." She began rubbing his dog-ears. At first Inuyasha growled, but then he began purring. Kagome chuckled. "See, you're happy now. That's a good boy."

Inuyasha seemed to snap out of his trance and pulled away. "Hey, you know I don't like it when you treat me like a dog!"

"But your ears are so cute."

"Just stop treating me like…" _'That scent!'_

Inuyasha began sniffing around, acting very much like the very thing he demanded Kagome to stop treating him as.

"What's up, Inuyasha?" asked Sango.

Inuyasha continued sniffing. "I know I've picked up this scent before. But it's changed. It smells different."

Shippo looked up to his motherly figure. "Do you sense any jewel shards, Kagome?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't." She turned to the half-demon. "Who do you smell?"

Inuyasha took a whiff of the scent again. "I think… I think it's Kagura."

"Someone say my name?" Kagura leapt off her feather, landing a short distance away from the Shikon Hunters. She gave them a smug smile. "Long time no see. How've you been?"

"It is Kagura!" Miroku gasped. "Stay back, Sango, I'll protect you!"

He threw his arm out in front of her protectively, his hand just _happening_ to land on her breast.

_Smack!_

"Pervert!"

Kagura chuckled. "Some things never change." She said.

Inuyasha growled. "What are you doing here, Kagura?" He sniffed the air again. "And why is you're scent different?"

Kagura smirked. "Oh, you've noticed. I like my new scent. I no longer have Naraku's stench on me." Then she sniffed the air. "Oh, and it appears I'm not the only one with a new scent."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha blushed, the latter trying to cover up his embarrassment with anger. "Shut up! Tell us where Naraku is!"

Kagura shrugged. "Couldn't tell you." And it was true; she didn't know where the half-demon was, but she deliberately didn't give them an accurate answer, it was fun toying with them.

Sango then asked the question she desperately needed answered. "What about Kohaku?"

"He's fine."

"Where is he?" the demon slayer demanded.

Kagura frowned at her rude tone. "He's off enjoying himself."

Inuyasha growled. "Damn you." He unsheathed his sword, Tetsusaiga. "If you don't give us some answers right now I'll cut you in half!"

Kagura chuckled. "My, someone is in a bad mood today." She tapped her chin. "On second thought, you're always in a bad mood."

"Shut up!"

Inuyasha unleashed the Wind Scar. Kagura just smirked. _'The fool. He should know better than to use that attack against me. I am the wind! I have complete power over it.'_

She waved her fan. The Wind Scar immediately subsided. But Inuyasha didn't let that stop him.

"Damn you. Let's see how your fan handles my sword!"

He charged at her, raising Tetsusaiga. Kagura was prepared to fight back, but it wasn't necessary. There was a flash of white and the next thing anyone knew, Inuyasha was being pressed against a tree, being held a good foot off the ground.

Kagura dropped her fighter's stance. "Aw, you spoiled my fun." She said.

Sesshomaru ignored her. All his attention was on his miserable excuse for a brother. His eyes had turned red as he resisted the urge to snap the half-demon's neck with a flick of his wrist.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome gasped, surprised to see the demon lord. "What are you doing here?"

He ignored her as well, keeping his eyes locked on the half-demon he held. "Inuyasha, how dare you raise your sword to her." he seethed. "Neither you, nor your friends, are to ever lay a hand on Kagura."

Inuyasha struggled to pry his older brother's hand away from his throat. "What's it to you anyway? She doesn't concern you. She's just one of Naraku's underlines."

Sesshomaru's grip tightened. "You will not show my mate disrespect."

All of the Shikon Hunters', including Kilala, mouths dropped open in shock.

"What?" said Sango.

"Kagura is…" Miroku began.

"Sesshomaru's mate?" Kagome finished.

"No way!" Shippo cried.

Kagura smirked. "It took you that long to figure it out?" she mocked.

Inuyasha growled. _'Well, that explains why Kagura's scent is different, and Sesshomaru's. It's because they're mated… Wait a minute, they're mated! MATED!'_ "Sesshomaru, are you out of your damn mind? How could you mate _her?_ She's Naraku's _daughter!"_

Sesshomaru didn't show any reaction to this in the least. "I fail to see your point."

"You're crazy!" the half-demon insisted. "Do you even know what it means to take a mate? You can only have one. You're bound to each other forever. You can't reverse this even if one of you dies."

"This Sesshomaru is aware of the results of taking a mate." Sesshomaru replied. "However, before you judge my decision, you should take a look at yours." He finally took his eyes off Inuyasha to look at Kagome. "You, like Father, took a human as a mate." He turned back to his brother. "A foolish decision. Are _you_ aware that you will outlive her for by least half a century? Are you aware that your children will be less than half-breeds? Are you aware that the mating of a priestess and a creature with demon blood is looked down upon even more than the mating of a demon and a regular human?"

Inuyasha growled. "Don't question my decision!"

"And do not question mine." Sesshomaru told him. He tightened his grip. "Especially when I am a second away from ending your miserable life."

Kagura walked over to her mate and land a hand on his shoulder. "Now, now, Sesshomaru, don't be too hard on him."

"He threatened you." Sesshomaru growled.

Kagura shrugged. "You know what he's like."

"What's that mean?" Inuyasha demanded.

Sesshomaru ignored his brother. "Such an act cannot go unpunished."

Kagura sighed. "Fine then, kill him. But before you do, think about Rin and Kohaku."

This seemed to catch Sesshomaru's attention. "What of them?"

Kagura shook her head. "Well, your brother is friends with Kohaku's sister. And your brother's mate is close friends with Rin. So if you kill him, his friends will be upset, thus making Kohaku and Rin upset with you for upsetting them."

Sesshomaru growled softly, but his mate did have a point. Perhaps he could kill his brother then bring him back with Tenseiga.

"Let me go!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Please, be quiet." Sesshomaru growled. He dropped the half-demon, letting him sink to the floor. "Inuyasha, I will spare you this time, on the condition that you never speak disrespectfully to my mate again. If you do, then I will claim your life."

Inuyasha rubbed his neck. "Yeah, whatever." _'Maybe this is just a bad dream.'_

"And you are to apologize."

"WHAT?"

Kagura smirked. _'Oh, this is going to be good.'_

"There is no way in hell that I'm apologizing to _her!"_

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha, just do it." She said, wanting to avoid further fighting.

"What?" Inuyasha cried. "Why should I?"

"Because I'll subdue you nonstop until you do!"

Inuyasha paled at her threat. He knew she would do it too. So he could either apologize to his new sister-in-law, _'AHHH! MY SISTER-IN-LAW!'_ or get 'sat' into oblivion. It was a _very_ difficult decision.

Inuyasha's face worked furiously as he tried to form the words. It wasn't easy. He'd rather face ten Narakus than apologize. This was harder than wielding the Tetsusaiga when it was extra heavy.

"I-I'm s-s-s-so-sor-or-r-ry."

Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"I said, I'm s-sorry."

"One more time."

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" he shouted to the heavens.

Kagura smirked. "Well, since you were so _nice_ about it, I guess I'll forgive you."

Inuyasha growled, looking ready to tear the wind-demon to pieces. Kagome saw this and quickly stepped in. "Kagura, we know that you want Naraku dead, so could you tell us where he is."

Kagura shook her head. "Sorry, I wish I could, but I really don't know where he is. I haven't since I betrayed him. Trust me, if I knew where he was hiding, I'd be over there right now paying him back for all the misery he put us through."

"But what about my brother?" asked Sango, desperate for information on her lost sibling.

Kagura gave her a smile. "I told you, he's perfectly fine. Better than fine." A familiar scent hit her nose. "In fact, why don't you see for yourself."

Kagura nodded up. Ah-Un was coming in for a landing. Jaken, Kohaku, and Rin were riding on his back.

"Milord, here you are." Said Jaken. "You left so suddenly that you didn't even say where you were going."

"Kagome!" Rin cried happily, rushing to hug the priestess. "Rin is so happy to see you again."

Kagome patted the girl's head. "I'm happy to see you too, Rin."

Rin giggled. "Look who Rin has with her!" she cried, pointing to Kohaku.

But Kohaku wasn't paying any attention to Rin. His gaze was fixed on Sango, who was staring back at him with a similar expression.

"K-Kohaku?" she whispered.

"Sister." Kohaku replied, indicating that he recognized her.

That one word was enough to break the trance the elder sibling was in. She dropped her Hiraikotsu and ran to him, enveloping her brother in a tight hug.

"Kohaku!" she cried, tears of joy running down her face.

Kohaku hugged her back tightly. "Sister."

Kagura gave the two an envious look. "I wish I had that kind of relationship with my siblings."

Sango held her brother tightly. "Oh, Kohaku, I missed you so much."

"Sango, forgive me." Kohaku said. He too was crying.

"No!" Sango shouted. "Don't you start blaming yourself even for a second! It was all Naraku's doing! You were a victim! A victim! I'm just glad to have you back."

Kohaku managed a small smile. "I have Kagura to thank for that."

Sango released her brother long enough to give the wind-demon a look of surprise. "You helped him?"

Kagura shrugged. "We were in a similar predicament."

Kohaku nodded. "We were. Naraku had Kagura's heart, and was forcing her to do his bidding."

Kagome gasped. "I never knew that." She said. "That's terrible!"

Miroku nodded in agreement. "Naraku will resort to anything. He uses people in the cruelest of ways."

At Miroku's words, Kagome suddenly realized something. "The jewel shard in Kohaku's back! It's gone!"

"What?" Sango gasped. She turned her brother around, feeling for the jewel shard in his back. But she realized that Kagome was right. There was only a small scar from where the shard used to be. "It is gone. But how?"

"Sesshomaru saved me." Kohaku explained.

Sango blinked. "Sesshomaru?" She looked at the demon lord in disbelief.

Sesshomaru gave her a dark look. "Do not look into this. I do things for my own reason."

Rin giggled. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, you're such a kidder." She turned to Sango. "Lord Sesshomaru used the Tenseiga to bring him back after the jewel was removed."

"Where's the jewel now?" Inuyasha demanded.

Rin frowned. "Byakuya has it."

Inuyasha looked confused. "Who the hell is Byakuya?"

"Inuyasha, watch your language!" Kagome snapped.

"He's Naraku's newest incarnation." Kohaku replied.

Inuyasha growled. "Great, now Naraku has another jewel shard."

"Actually, since Kohaku was under Naraku's control, the jewel shard was technically in his possession the whole time." said Shippo.

"Shut up!"

_Pow!_

"Ow! Kagome, Inuyasha hit me!"

"Inuyasha…"

The half-demon looked terrified. "No, not again."

He quickly laid down on his stomach, hoping to lessen the pain to come.

"Sit!"

_Thump!_

"Is that anyway to treat your mate?" he shouted.

Rin beamed at Kagome. "You're Inuyasha's mate?" she asked.

Kagome blushed. "Um, yeah."

Rin squealed happily. "Then you're Rin's Aunt Kagome!" She began hopping up and down, circling around Kagome as she chanted, "Aunt Kagome! Aunt Kagome! Aunt Kagome!"

Sesshomaru was getting bored with all this. "It is time to take our leave. Let's go."

"Right behind you." said Kagura.

Rin waved goodbye to the others. "Bye, everyone! Bye, Aunt Kagome!"

The only one who stayed behind was Kohaku. He was torn two ways. He was finally reunited with his sister, and now Sesshomaru expected him to leave her. Sometimes Sesshomaru was still a cold-hearted individual.

Noticing that he wasn't following, Rin turned to Kohaku. "What's wrong, Kohaku?" she asked.

Kohaku looked nervous, looking back and forth between Rin and Sango. "I… um…" He lowered his head.

Sango held her brother tightly. "It's ok, Kohaku. I told you that you have nothing to worry about. We're together again. I won't let Naraku hurt you anymore."

Sesshomaru stopped walking and turned back to Kohaku. "Are you coming?" he asked coldly. He wasn't about to give up the boy. He had already given the boy his blessings to be with Rin, and he wasn't going to let him walk away.

Before Kohaku could answer, Sango spoke up. "We'll take care of him now. I can't thank you enough, Sesshomaru. You gave me back my brother."

Rin looked very unhappy at the thought of Kohaku not coming with her. "Kohaku?"

The boy turned to her. She looked close to tears. He couldn't stand to see her so upset. Sighing, he turned to his sister. "I'm sorry, Sango. But I can't go with you."

Sango looked shocked. "What? Why not? Kohaku, if this is about when Naraku controlled you-"

"It's not that." He interrupted. "I have to go with them."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to go with them of all people?"

"I have to stay with Rin." Kohaku explained.

Miroku nodded, thinking he understood. "I think I know what the problem is. Kohaku, if it is Rin's safety you're concerned about, you need not worry. She is perfectly safe with Sesshomaru. He alone is very powerful, and now Kagura is with him. Rin will be fine."

Kohaku shook his head. "No, it's not just to protect her. You see… well…" _'Oh boy, here it comes. How is she going to react to this?'_ "Rin is sort of… my fiancée."

There was a pregnant silence as this information sunk in.

"Your _fiancée?"_ the Shikon Hunters cried.

Kohaku turned beet red as Rin nodded happily. "His fiancée! That's me!"

"What do you mean she's your fiancée?" Sango demanded.

Kohaku nervously rubbed the back of his head. "I sort of agreed to marry her when we're the proper age."

Inuyasha cut his eyes. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of."

"No, it's adorable!" Kagome cried, with stars in her eyes. "You two are so cute together!"

"They're kids!" Inuyasha pointed out.

Miroku nodded. "He has a point. They are rather young."

Shippo cut his eyes at the monk. "Really? And just how many girls under 14 did you promise to marry when they grew up?"

Miroku sweat-dropped. "Um, that was nothing. Sango is my one and only love." He said, laughing nervously.

"Who cares if they're young?" said Kagome. "It's not like they're getting married right now. People get betrothed at young ages all the time. The important thing is that they love each other." She looked at Kohaku and Rin. "You guys do love each other, right?"

Rin's head bobbled up and down as Kohaku nodded nervously. Sango looked back and forth between the two, trying to digest the situation. Finally she sighed and smiled. "We'll as long as you're happy." She said.

Rin hugged Kohaku's arm. "We are, Sister Sango."

Sango blinked. "Sister?"

Rin nodded. "Yup. Lady Sango is Rin's sister now too."

Once she got over her surprise by being addressed as 'sister', Sango gave the girl a smile. "Yes, I guess I am." She said, and hugged the girl.

Sesshomaru's finger tapped at his side impatiently. "If you are through, can we be on our way?" He for one didn't know the joy of having a sibling he got along with.

Rin nodded. "Coming, Lord Sesshomaru!" She looked at Kohaku, not releasing his arm. "Kohaku?"

The demon slayer paused for a moment. "Yeah, I'm coming." He gave Sango one last hug. "Goodbye, sister. I'll see you again soon."

Sango embraced him tightly. "I'm happy for you." she said. "And I'm glad you're alright."

Kohaku smiled. "Thank you."

"Kohaku, Rin, we are leaving." Sesshomaru said in a final tone.

"Coming." Said Kohaku, releasing his sister. "Goodbye."

That was it. He was leaving her again. He was sad about it, but also happy and relieved that his sister didn't hate him. Rin gave him a curious look, wondering if he regretted his decision to stay with her.

"Kohaku, are you happy with Rin?" she asked.

Kohaku looked surprised. When he saw her worried face, he gave her a smile. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Rin beamed and hugged his arm tightly. "Rin is so happy!"

As the two rejoined Sesshomaru and the others, Sango watched them leave as her friends eyed her worriedly.

"Sango, are you ok?" asked Kagome carefully.

The demon slayer wiped her eyes and smiled at her friends. "Yes, I'm happy knowing that he is no longer under Naraku's control."

**(A/N: Well, that's that. You had to have loved the part when Sesshomaru and Kagome forced Inuyasha to apologize, and how about Rin's curiosity at the beginning. Things may seem all fine and dandy now, but Byakuya is closing in on them. By the way, he really does have the ability to call forth demons with his sword and to posses people with paper soldiers, but you'll see more of that in the next chapter.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**:**** Byakuya catches up with the others. He gets Sesshomaru out of the way by using one of his special techniques then goes to finish off Kagura.**_


	17. Chapter 17: Brother vs Sister

**(A/N: This took longer than I expected. Sorry about that, but I've had a writer's block, still do. Anyway, the past several chapters have been all romance and drama, now it's time to bring back the action. And this time Sesshomaru isn't going to be the one fighting.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 17: Brother vs. Sister**

Mating season had ended, much to Jaken's relief. All his sexual frustration had vanished and his lord and lady's nightly activities had decreased. He was grateful for that since he didn't think his poor old ears could take it any more. Now that things were nearly back to normal, they could finally concentrate on finding and destroying Naraku. But why did the despicable half-demon have such good hiding places.

"Milady, are you certain you don't know where Naraku is?" he asked for the thousandth time.

Kagura made an angry noise. "I told you I don't know! Now stop asking me that!"

Jaken winced. "I'm sorry, milady. I was merely curious."

"And I already told that I have no idea where he's hiding! Asking me a thousand times won't change that."

"I too tire of hearing the same question." Sesshomaru told his servant. "If you grow tired of this journey, then return to my castle."

Jaken looked terrified at the thought of being separated from his lord. "No, no, milord! I'm simply frustrated at Naraku's hiding. He's such a coward."

"Naraku is not a coward." Said Kohaku. "He just has lots of patience. The reason he hardly ever gets his hands dirty is because he enjoys using others. And the reason he's still in hiding is because he's scheming."

Kagura nodded in agreement. "Most likely, he's trying to find a way to protect what's left of his heart. Because once Hakudōshi dies, Naraku will be as mortal as us. He won't come out of hiding unless he has a flawless plan or unless he completes the Shikon Jewel and becomes full demon."

That didn't sound too bad to Jaken. "Then let him complete the jewel and bring him out of hiding. Even as a full-fledged demon, Naraku is no match for Lord Sesshomaru."

"Don't be so sure." Said Kohaku. "I mean no disrespect to Sesshomaru, but as long as Naraku holds the jewel shard, he is most likely the strongest of all beings. Remember, a single shard will at least double a demon's strength. Naraku has all but three shards. That's why he's so powerful."

Sesshomaru didn't take offense to what Kohaku said. He knew the boy wasn't insulting his strength. He was merely stating the facts. Naturally, Sesshomaru was much stronger than Naraku, but as long as the despicable half-demon held the Shikon Jewel, his powers drastically increased.

'_A pitiful way to gain power.'_ He thought. Using the Shikon Jewel was a disgrace to demons in Sesshomaru's opinion. The way he saw it, any demon that used a sacred jewel shard was too weak to be able to gain strength on their own. They did not become powerful, they were merely using something that granted them strength. That was not true power, which was why Sesshomaru hadn't accepted the jewel shards that Kagura had offered him in the past.

"Jewel or no jewel, half-breed or full-breed, I will destroy Naraku." Sesshomaru insisted.

Rin cheered for the demon lord. "Yay, Lord Sesshomaru can do anything!"

As the group continued forward, they were unaware of the floating eyeball following them. It began rising in the air, vanishing inside the clouds as it returned to its owner.

Byakuya smirked. "So, Sesshomaru can do anything." he said with a sneer. "I'll just have to put him to the test. You've done a good job at hiding from me, but now that I've found you, you're finished."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Sesshomaru sensed it before it happened. The slight sensation of someone using demonic power. A moment after he sensed it, he could have sworn he saw a flash of light for a brief moment. Just to be sure, he turned to his companions.

"Jaken, did you…"

He trailed off as he noticed the others were gone. But how? He knew for a fact that they had been there a second ago. Right before the flash of light to be exact.

'_So it was not my imagination.'_ He thought.

There was another flash of light and the environment began changing. The colors changed and objects began… mutating. It wasn't just that. There were different sounds and smells, and there was a strange feeling in the air. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he was definitely in a different place then he was in before.

The sound of something moving caught his attention. Sesshomaru sniffed the air to see if there were any demons nearby. There weren't, but there was definitely something. And that something was coming after him.

Normally Sesshomaru would calmly wait for whatever would dare to attack him, but he had no idea what was coming after him. He unsheathed Toukijin and prepared to attack. Sesshomaru may have been arrogant, but he was never stupid. He knew never to let an unknown enemy get a chance to attack.

But what finally did reveal itself was not what he expected. What appeared to be giant mutant plants were approaching. They weren't demons, but they appeared to be alive.

"Interesting." Said Sesshomaru. "What manner of beast are you?"

None of the plants, if that was indeed what they were, said anything. Unless attacking counted as an answer. One of the plants lashed out with a tentacle. Sesshomaru easily dodged it.

"I see." He said. "So there is no talking to you creatures." Toukijin began glowing with demonic power. "Then I have no reason to hold back."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried. "Lord Sesshomaru!"

She continued to pound on the strange orb of light that had suddenly wrapped around the demon lord. It had happened so suddenly. They were just walking along when Sesshomaru was engulfed in this orb of light.

Kohaku slashed at the orb with his sickle. This accomplished absolutely nothing. It was as if this orb had a barrier. No, more like it _was_ a barrier. "What is this thing?"

Jaken continued to unleash fire on the orb. "I don't know, but we must get Lord Sesshomaru out."

"Stand back." Said Kagura, raising her fan. "Dance of Blades!"

The orb of light reflected Kagura's attack, remaining perfectly intact.

"It didn't work." Said Rin, stating the obvious.

"I'll try again." Kagura replied. "Dance of the Dragon!"

The orb of light was engulfed by Kagura's tornado. She continued the attack until she realized that nothing was happening. With a frustrated sigh, she let the attack drop.

"Damn it." She seethed. "Nothing works."

"Nothing you do will." came a familiar voice.

The group turned around and saw Byakuya flying down on his paper crane.

"You." Kagura hissed.

Byakuya waved at her. "Me. It's been a while, sis."

"What did you do to Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken demanded.

Byakuya smirked. "I simply used my…" He trailed off as he sensed something different about his sister. He also noticed a change in her scent. "What's this? Kagura, you smell different. And you…"

His eyes widened as he realized what was different. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air. Giving the orb of light that Sesshomaru was trapped in a disbelieving look, he began laughing.

"You have got to be kidding me!" he cried, laughing the whole time. "You," he pointed to Kagura, "and him," he pointed to the orb of light containing Sesshomaru, "are mates! That's the greatest!"

Kagura glared at him. "I don't see what's so funny about this?"

Byakuya wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. "Sorry, sis. I'm just shocked."

"You're not the only one." Jaken muttered.

Byakuya struggled to stop himself from falling into another fit of laughter. "Wait until Naraku hears about this. His own daughter is mated to the brother of his biggest enemy." He covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

"Stop laughing and tell us what you did to Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried.

Byakuya cleared his throat. "I simply trapped him in an alternate dimension of illusions. He won't be joining us for this battle. Once you're dead, I'll deal with him."

Kagura raised her fan. "Did you forget that I can fight too?" Kagura asked.

"So can I." said Kohaku. "And I won't die easily."

Byakuya just laughed. "Yes, you can fight. And you do have me outnumbered." An evil smile crept up his face. "But… I brought some friends with me."

He snapped his fingers and the demons possessed by his paper soldiers flew down from the sky. Their eyes glowed red and had a blank look in them, indicating that they were being controlled by something, namely Byakuya.

"Weren't expecting this, were you, sis?" Byakuya mocked. "They're all under my control. They may be lesser demons, but I think that they'll be enough to make things… interesting." He pointed at them. "Kill them all!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Sesshomaru wandered aimlessly through the strange dimension. After quickly disposing of the strange plant-like creatures, he started searching for a way out. But there didn't seem to be one; in fact, he couldn't even find out how he got in this place in the first place. This world was very strange, and he wanted out.

He paused when he came across what appeared to be a river flowing with pink liquid. He gently probed it with Toukijin. The pink substance was more like a jelly than a liquid.

'_This is not my world.'_ he told himself. _'What realm have I slipped into?'_

Before he could think on this further, the mating mark on his shoulder tingled. His mate was calling out to him. It appeared that whoever had sent him here was now after her. It didn't take him long to figure out who it was.

"Byakuya." He growled.

How dare that miserable demon attack his mate? He would tear that miserable bastard to pieces. But first he had to get out of here. Now the question was, how?

"This Sesshomaru will find a way." He vowed.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kohaku made sure to keep Rin out of harm's way. He was shielding her with his body as he threw his sickle at any demons that dared to approach. Rin was curled up in a ball behind him, covering her ears and closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to see or hear the fighting.

Poor Jaken was the worst off. All he could do was run for his miserable life and wave his staff around wildly whenever a demon approached. How he wished that his lord were here to help him. Sesshomaru would have made quick work of these pathetic demons.

Kagura was dealing with the demons rather easily. They all fell prey to her Dance of Blades and Dance of the Dragon. It wasn't long before the few remaining possessed demons dropped dead.

"Dance of Blades!" Kagura cried, slicing off the head of the last demon. When she was finished, she gave Byakuya a mocking smirk. "Any more useless minions?"

Byakuya shook his head. "Sorry, no. But I didn't expect them to beat you anyway. It was fun watching you kill them though."

Kagura sneered at him. "Well, you've demonstrated your ability to possess others. Now it's time to show you mine." She waved her fan. "And I think you'll find my way a little more affective. Dance of the Dead!"

The magical breeze she created gently blew over the bodies of the dead demons. They twitched slightly before slowly getting up. They moved as if they were alive, regardless of their mutilated bodies, but there was no life in their eyes.

Kagura waved her fan. "Now, dance. Do my dance of the dead."

The demons, even the ones that couldn't fly, flew at Byakuya. He just smirked and raised his hands. Vines shot up from out of the ground, the ends impaling the demons.

"Yeah, that was really affective." He remarked sarcastically.

Kagura snickered. "It's not over yet, brother."

She waved her fan again and the demons tore themselves free from the vines, much to Byakuya's surprise.

"How?"

"They're not alive." Kagura explained. "I'm controlling them. So go ahead, strike them down, cut them to pieces, whatever you want; they'll just keep coming."

Byakuya growled. "They will, will they?" He said, putting up a barrier. The demons all dog-piled on top of him, held back by the barrier. "What if there is nothing left to come after me?"

Kagura couldn't see what he was doing since the pile of dead demons were covering him, but a moment later, a tornado of fire swirled around the pile of them, completely reducing them to ash. Byakuya stood there with a confident smirk on his face as he blew away the trail of smoke emitting from his lotus flower.

"Lets see you control them now, sister."

Kagura didn't reply. She couldn't control ashes, but she could still fight. "Jaken, you keep Rin and Kohaku safe while I deal with this freak."

Jaken gulped. "Y-Yes, milady."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Sesshomaru continued to roam the strange realm he was in. He was actually struggling to maintain his calm exterior. He could sense that his mate was in danger, but he couldn't detect her anywhere. He had to get out of here, and when he did, he was going to tear Byakuya to pieces.

Closing his eyes, he tried to see if he could sense Byakuya. If it was indeed him that had sent him here, then there must be some connection between him and this place. He just had to find that connection and sever it.

It took a couple of minutes, but he eventually realized that Byakuya's demonic aura was completely surrounding him. It was this aura that was keeping him here. That meant that all he had to do was overpower it.

Sesshomaru's eyes turned red as his inner demon surfaced.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Byakuya sighed. "You know, Kagura, I'm getting rather tired of this game of cat and mouse. It's time to finish this. No more running away, it's time to end this."

And for the first time, he unsheathed his sword, preparing to actually use it in battle. Kagura knew that Byakuya's sword, like her fan, was forged from Naraku's bones, and therefore was no ordinary weapon. She would have to be careful.

Byakuya charged at her, swinging his sword. Kagura blocked it with her closed fan. Only the fact that her fan was not an ordinary one prevented Byakuya from slicing through it.

"Careful, sister." Byukuya mocked. "You wouldn't want to break your fan now, would you? How will you control the wind then?"

Kagura glared at him. "I don't need my fan to control the wind, it just makes it easier. Like this!"

She jumped back and waved her fan, unleashing powerful blades of wind that sliced through everything in its path. Including Byakuya.

Kagura smirked, thinking she had won, but Byakuya's severed limbs reattached themselves to him.

"You look surprised." He said. "Did you forget that I can detach and reattach my body parts? Go ahead, cut me up all you want. Here, I'll give you a free shot."

Growling, Kagura decided to take him up on his offer. "Fine! This time I'll cut off that little thing between your legs."

She unleashed her Dance of Blades. Byakuya decided not give her the free shot he had offered her after the threat she made. He may be able to reattach any limbs he might lose, but that didn't mean that it still didn't hurt, especially _there_.

Kagura smirked. "Got cold feet?"

"Shut up!" Byakuya cried, no longer fooling around.

He swung his sword, unleashing a blast of demonic energy. Kagura dodged the attack, which left a large crater in the ground where she had just been standing.

"Can your wind attacks do that?" he asked, sounding smug.

"Can your sword do this? Dance of the Dragon!"

Byakuya put up his barrier as a tornado formed around him. The wind sliced against his barrier, but it remained intact.

"You can't beat me, sister. I am Naraku's strongest incarnation. I have powers you can't even imagine."

"I don't give a damn!" Kagura shouted. "I'm going to kill you and then watch as Sesshomaru kills Naraku."

Byakuya laughed. "Fool. He can't defeat our father. Naraku has a plan that will make him truly invincible. Your mate can't defeat him. And you can't defeat me."

He swung his sword outside of his barrier. It cut through Kagura's tornado, causing it to disperse. Giving her a mocking grin, he vanished into thin air, reappearing in a different position, just a little closer. He did this repeatedly, slowly closing the distance between the two of them.

'_Those damn illusions!'_ Kagura thought angrily.

Byakuya suddenly appeared right in front of her. Kagura had been prepared for this and she waved her fan, unleashing her Dance of Blades. What she had not been expecting was for this Byakuya to be an illusion and for the real one to be behind her.

The real Byakuya swung his sword. The blade cut Kagura's back, leaving a deep wound. The wind-demon cried out, falling to the ground. The back of her kimono was cut open, revealing a gash down her back, across the spider mark.

"That's gotta hurt." Said Byakuya. "Good thing you're a demon or else it would scar." He glanced at Kohaku, smirking. "Of course, you would know how a blade can scar a human, having struck down your own sister."

Kohaku gasped. How dare that miserable bastard bring up the time Naraku had made him strike Sango with his sickle. He knew that Byakuya said this deliberately to upset him, and it worked.

"You… you…"

"Stay back." Kagura moaned, not wanting Kohaku to get hurt.

Byakuya looked down at her. "Oh, you're awake? I had thought you had lost conscious."

"Don't hurt her!" Rin cried.

Byakuya grinned evilly. "Oh, she's fine. Look."

He kicked her in the side, sending her flying over to the others. Rin immediately began fussing over the wind-demon's wound as Kohaku moved to defend them.

"Oh, Lady Kagura, you're bleeding!" Rin wept.

Through the pain, Kagura gave her a forced smile. "Don't worry about me. This will be healed in a day the most."

Byakuya smirked. "You won't live that long. I'm going to kill all of you right now."

Kohaku got into an attack position. "Not while I'm here."

Byakuya just laughed. "Foolish boy. I'll cut you in half."

He charged at him, sword raised. But then something happened that made him skid to a halt. The orb of light that Sesshomaru was trapped in flashed brightly as sparks began crackling around it. Even though it was made of light, cracks began appearing over it.

"What the?" Byakuya whispered. "No way."

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin whispered hopefully.

Byakuya was looking at the orb in disbelief. "It can't be…"

But it was. The orb of light shattered and Sesshomaru emerged. But he was now in his demon form, towering over all of them. It took him a second to balance on his three legs, since his forth was still missing, though much had grown back.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried happily.

"That's Sesshomaru?" Kohaku exclaimed, having never seen the demon lord in this form.

"Of course it is!" Jaken snapped. "Behold, Lord Sesshomaru in his demon form. His power can be measured by no one."

Sesshomaru spared his companions a glance. His eyes widened when he saw Kagura injured. He settled his angry gaze on Byakuya, who was just getting over his surprise, and growled.

"So, you escaped." Said Byakuya. "Impressive. You manage to overpower my demonic aura and free yourself from my dimension of illusions."

Sesshomaru began to shrink as he turned back into his humanoid form. He turned away from Byakuya and went to inspect his mate's injuries.

"Kagura?" he said soothingly.

Kagura opened her eyes. She saw Sesshomaru standing over her and smiled. "Sesshomaru…" she whispered, reaching out for him. "My mate, my love. I knew he couldn't hold you."

Sesshomaru knelt down, taking the hand that was reaching for him and gently held it. "Lay still. Do not make your injury worse."

Kagura forced herself to smile. "I'll be fine. I've suffered worse injuries than this from Naraku."

Sesshomaru's expression didn't change. "Kagura, never shall I allow you to be harmed again."

Byakuya, who was watching the scene impatiently, was tapping his sword in his open palm as he waited for them to finish with their 'lovey dovey' moment. "Can we get on with this? I don't have all day. You two will have plenty of time for this in the other world."

Sesshomaru ignored him. He released Kagura's hand and caressed her cheek. "Stay here. This Sesshomaru will deal with this."

Kagura closed her eyes and smiled. "I have faith in you."

The ghost of a smile appeared over Sesshomaru's face before it turned into an angry frown. He stood up and turned to Byakuya, his eyes turning red with anger. Sesshomaru was the type of person that rarely showed emotion, but he was showing it now. And he was showing cold fury. He had a scowl on his face, his red eyes narrowed, and fangs bared.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "So, I finally got an emotional response out of you. I was wondering what would trigger it. Apparently it's my sister in pain."

Sesshomaru growled as he unsheathed Toukijin. "I will make you suffer the pain you have caused her tenfold!" he snarled.

Byakuya held up his sword. "Sounds fun."

**(A/N: Poor Kagura. Byakuya really did a number on her. But he really pissed Sesshomaru off. By the way, Byakuya's ability to send someone to another dimension is real. Not the way I used it, but he does have that ability. But that's not going to help him against Sesshomaru. You won't want to miss the next chapter, though it may take a little longer due to this damn writer's block. I'll do my best though.)**

_**Preview for next chapter****:**__** Sesshomaru and Byakuya go all out in a fight to the death. Naraku finally goes through with his plan to make himself completely invincible.**_


	18. Chapter 18: Death and Rebirth

**(A/N: Bye, bye writer's block. You've been waiting for the final showdown between Sesshomaru and Byakuya, and it is here at last. So I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to leave me a review.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 18: Death and Rebirth**

Byakuya's eyes scanned Sesshomaru up and down. Though the demon lord was regaining control of his emotions, he had already dropped his emotionless mask.

Byakuya smirked. "If I had known that all it would take to get an emotional response out of you was to hurt my sister, I would have done it long ago."

Though his expression didn't change, cold fury filled Sesshomaru's eyes. It was for this reason that he always appeared so emotionless and uncaring. Doing so gave way nothing. But now that he had shown a reaction to Kagura being hurt, Byakuya now knew one of his weaknesses. Kagura was his weakness, and if that got out, she would be in danger, as would Rin if anyone found out he cared for her too.

"You will not have the chance to do anything to her again." he told Byakuya, his voice emotionless. "This Sesshomaru will bring forth your demise."

Byakuya grinned. "But which one is the real me?"

As expected, Byakuya split into multiple copies of himself. Of course, only one of the seven of them was real. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. This trick was getting old, and very annoying. Gripping Toukijin, he closed his eyes and relied on his sense of smell. Only one of them had a scent.

He lunged at the fourth one from the left. Byakuya scowled and blocked Toukijin with his own sword. The copies vanished once Sesshomaru discovered the real one.

"Impressive." Said Byakuya. "But you only found me because of my scent. But I have a way to take away that advantage."

He jumped away from the dog-demon as several vines shot out of the ground. They immediately began wrapping around Sesshomaru. Forgetting that the vines were filled with miasma, he cut straight through them, unleashing the purple mist.

Sesshomaru growled. How could he forget about something so important? He had been foolish. And this time Kagura wasn't in any condition to blow the miasma away. Sesshomaru avoided the deadly mist, but Byakuya's plan worked; the miasma covered up his scent.

"You're getting careless, Sesshomaru." Said Byakuya, from somewhere within the mist. "Or could it be that you're just so concerned about my dear sister that it's breaking you're concentration?"

Sesshomaru ignored his remark. "Come face me, if you are so confident."

Byakuya chuckled, making sure to remain hidden. "You're too serious, Sesshomaru. Learn to have some fun every once in awhile. Oh yeah, I forgot, that's what your mate is for." He chuckled. "Yes, Sesshomaru, I know that you've mated with my sister. That makes you my brother-in-law, and Naraku your father-in-law." He sighed in amusement. "Ah, what tangled webs we weave."

Byakuya burst out of the cloud of miasma. He grinned as he used his powers of illusion to make it look like he had several arms, each one with a sword. Sesshomaru didn't know which one was real, and couldn't block them all, so he had to avoid them.

"The hand is quicker than the eye." Said Byakuya, swinging his swords around.

"Don't give up, Lord Sesshomaru!" cried Rin. "Rin knows you can beat him!"

Byakuya cut his eyes at the girl. "Little brat," he growled, "you're so annoying!"

He whipped out his lotus flower and pointed it at Rin. Flames burst out of it, heading right for her. Sesshomaru made an attempt to get to her, but Byakuya lashed out with his sword, stopping him. Fortunately, Kohaku had pulled Rin away from the flames, and no one was hurt. Byakuya also made a mistake when he blocked Sesshomaru. He had revealed which of his arms was real. Sesshomaru swung Toukijin, cutting off Byakuya's arm. The illusion arms faded away as his real arm went flying through the air, maintaining its grip on his sword.

Byakuya barely reacted to the loss of his limb. He looked from his arm, to his new stump, to Sesshomaru. "Ow!" he cried, as if he just realized that he should be in pain.

"I shall now take your other arm." Said Sesshomaru, making it sound like it was no big deal.

Byakuya just smirked. "Allow me." He said.

His other left arm popped off his body as the right one floated over to him. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at Byakuya, whose arms were now hovering beside him. This was rather… unusual.

"Don't look so surprised, my friend." Said Byakuya. "I'm a demon of many talents."

His right arm, the one wielding his sword, flew at Sesshomaru, as the arm holding the lotus flower shot a stream of fire at him. Sesshomaru blocked the sword with Toukijin and leapt out of the way of the flames. But Byakuya was immediately at him, attacking with a series of kicks.

Sesshomaru growled. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. He had Byakuya attacking him, while trying to avoid fire and a floating arm with a sword. It was very annoying.

Then, just to make things more difficult, Byakuya's right arm split into at least twenty copies. Sesshomaru had to dodge them all, since he didn't know which one was real. He glanced at his companions, worried about their safety. Some of those arms were a little too close to them. Damn it, this was why he never wanted to love! He was being distracted by his feelings.

"I'm sensing lots of tension from you, Sesshomaru." Said Byakuya, as he kicked out at the demon lord again. "It's too late to hide your emotions. I know exactly what you're feeling; you've showed it to me. You're worried about your mate, and angry at me for what I've done to her." He smirked. "If she is that much of a distraction, I'll just get rid of her."

One of the arms flew at Kagura. Sesshomaru rushed towards her and shielded her with his body. The sword meant for Kagura stabbed him in the back, but it was only an illusion. Byakuya had been playing with him.

"You crack me up." Byakuya laughed. "Look at you, Sesshomaru. You're pathetic. What happened to the coldhearted demon lord? You just risked your life for my worthless sister." He shook his head. "So stupid."

Sesshomaru whirled around, his eyes now glowing red. He looked furious. Even Byakuya took a step back. "You dare to make a fool of this Sesshomaru. You dare to harm my mate. You are the fool, Byakuya. If you truly wish to get a reaction from this Sesshomaru," Toukijin began glowing with demonic energy, "you shall have it."

He swung his sword, unleashing a vast amount of demonic energy. Byakuya's eyes widened as he was consumed by the red light. Once it faded away, all the copies were gone, leaving only Byakuya, who was being protected by his barrier.

"Damn, dog-boy, don't get so sensitive." He said, dropping his barrier and allowing his arms to reattach themselves. He dusted himself off, as if he had simply tripped. "Jeez, it's next to impossible to get an emotional response out of you, but once you do, you go all out, don't you?"

"You have brought this upon yourself." Said Sesshomaru, slowly approaching him. "Now you will face the consequences of your actions."

Byakuya laughed. "Listen to you. 'You will face the consequences of your actions'. You really crack me up."

Sesshomaru rushed at him, swinging Toukijin. Byakuya's upper body was cut off of his lower half. But the two halves neatly reattached themselves like nothing happened.

"Crack me up, cut me in half, same thing." He said. He turned to Sesshomaru, smirking. "It doesn't matter. You can't kill me like that."

Sesshomaru didn't reply as he went on the attack again. And for once, Byakuya didn't resort to his illusions, but actually fought.

"You make poor battle conversation." Byakuya remarked.

"There is nothing to talk about." Sesshomaru replied.

Byakuya sighed. "You're so boring."

He swung his sword, unleashing his demonic energy. Sesshomaru did the same, and his attack easily overpowered Byakuya's, causing him to have to retreat.

"On second thought, maybe you're not so boring." He smirked. "Lets take things to the next level."

He enlarged his paper crane, jumping on it and taking to the air. He flew over Sesshomaru's head, well out of the demon lord's reach.

"You can't get me here." he cried.

"Coward." Sesshomaru muttered.

"I heard that!"

Byakuya dove down, crossing blades with the demon lord before taking to the air again. Sesshomaru growled in irritation as Byakuya continued to mock him.

"Are you just going to stand there and wait for me to come to you?" asked Byakuya. "And you're calling me a coward."

"Very well, I shall come to you." Sesshomaru replied.

A cloud of sparkling dust appeared around his feet, and Sesshomaru took to the air. Byakuya hadn't expected this and just barely managed to dodge the demon lord's sword.

"Impressive. You caught me off guard." He said.

Sesshomaru flew at him and their swords clashed together. As he passed, his sash sprang to life and lashed out at Byakuya.

"What the hell is this?" he cried, as the sash began to wrap around him.

Sesshomaru flicked his wrist and a cloud of poison shot out of his claws. Byakuya put up his barrier, knocking the sash away, and blocked the poison.

"Trickster!" he shouted. "I'll show you."

He waved his hand and hundreds of vines burst out of the ground, surrounding Sesshomaru. There were so many that it left him with no room to fly, and if he cut them down, he would unleash their miasma.

"See, I still got a few tricks up my sleeves too." Byakuya remarked.

On the ground, Jaken's eyes were shining with excitement. "Finally, I can be of assistance to Lord Sesshomaru. Now feel the power of the Staff of Two Heads!"

Flames shot out of the wood carving's mouth, incinerating the vines. Byakuya glared down at the toad-demon, who was looking very proud of himself.

"You little pest!" he cried. "I'll kill you slowly."

"Your opponent is me." Said Sesshomaru.

He slashed at Byakuya. Toukijin went straight through him and the image faded away. An illusion? But when did he…

"Behind you!" cried Byakuya.

Sesshomaru was surprised to hear Byakuya's voice behind him. When had he switched himself with an illusion? And there wasn't enough time to block or dodge the oncoming blow that Byakuya's sword was about to deliver.

But the blow never came. Instead, Byakuya cried out in pain as Kohaku's sickle buried into his back.

"You!" he gasped.

"Me!" Kohaku shouted, pulling on the chain.

Byakuya was pulled off his crane and began falling. Sesshomaru whirled around, channeling all his demonic power into Toukijin. Byakuya sensed the power rising and looked fearfully at Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru, wait!" he cried.

The demon lord didn't react to Byakuya's pleas in the least. "My regards to your siblings." He said, and unleashed Toukijin's power.

Byakuya put his barrier up, but the intensity of Sesshomaru's attack, including the closeness, blasted right through it. His cries filled the night as he was totally blown away.

Kohaku's sickle fell to the ground, smoking from Sesshomaru's attack. A few chunks of flesh dropped from the sky, but regeneration was impossible for Byakuya at this point, and the pieces dissolved.

Sesshomaru remained where he was for a moment, using all of his senses to see if Byakuya was still alive or if this was another trick. He felt nothing, which meant that the miserable bastard was finally gone. With that fact known, Sesshomaru jumped off the cloud of dust and sheathed Toukijin as he landed by Kagura's side.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you were incredible!" Jaken cried. "Did you see your loyal servant help? Of course, you did all the work and didn't require my assistance, but I felt that you didn't need to waste your time cutting down those roots, so I-"

Rin bonked him over the head. "Master Jaken, be quiet!" she scolded.

Jaken rubbed his head. "You little brat! What was that for?"

Rin put her finger to her lips and pointed at Sesshomaru. The demon lord was looking down at Kagura, his long white hair hiding his expression from them. He reached down and scooped up his mate, cradling her with his one arm.

"Sesshomaru…" she muttered.

"Rest now." He told her. "The danger has passed. This Sesshomaru will now and always protect you."

Kagura smiled. "I know." she said, and cuddled into his chest.

Sesshomaru began walking away, keeping a tight hold on her. "We are leaving." He told his companions.

"Yes, we're coming!" said Kohaku.

"Come on, Master Jaken!" Rin cried.

The toad-demon grumbled as he sprinted after them.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Naraku entered the room. Kanna, Hakudōshi, and Mōryōmaru looked up as he entered. The evil half-demon had a smug smile on his face.

"It's time." he said.

Hakudōshi nodded. "This is the best course of action, isn't it?" he asked. "Once it's done, it can't be undone."

Naraku gave his incarnation a curious look. "Are you having second thoughts?"

Hakudōshi shook his head. "No. For the most part I will still be me. I will just be a different person."

Naraku nodded and turned to Kanna. "What about you, Kanna?"

Kanna showed no emotion as she replied, "My will is your will."

Naraku smirked as he looked at Mōryōmaru. "And I know that I don't have to ask your opinion."

The undead demon merely cocked its head to the side. Naraku snickered at the creature's response.

"Shall we begin?" Kanna asked.

Naraku nodded. "You know what to do."

He watched as the three demons embraced each other. He held up the Shikon Jewel and a bright light filled the room. Flesh liquefied as the three demons seemed to melt into each other. Flesh and bones reformed and fused together as the three demons became one.

"It's perfect." Naraku growled. "Now my heart will truly be protected. Just as I was born from the fusing of demons and Onigumo, they now fuse to create a demon of unquestionable power."

The creature's body stopped glowing as it began to take form. Mōryōmaru stood where all three of them once were, only now there were a few differences about him. His eyes had turned a blood red color, looking very similar to Naraku's, except the whites of his eyes were black, and he now had a spider-shaped burn mark on his back.

"Can you hear me?" asked Naraku.

The creature turned to Naraku and smiled, revealing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. "Yes." He growled.

Naraku smirked. "Good. How do you feel?"

The demon examined himself. "It is hard to describe. I have all of their memories, yet I feel the part of me that is Hakudōshi dominating the rest."

Naraku nodded. "It is only natural that your personality will be made up mostly of Hakudōshi, since Kanna and Mōryōmaru didn't have much of a conscience. I see you still have Mōryōmaru's body."

"Mostly. He did have the dominant body." The creature replied. "You may continue calling me by his name since I have his body, even though I am no longer him."

Naraku shrugged. "As you wish, Mōryōmaru."

The demon, Mōryōmaru, chuckled. "Now then, I think I'll go take care of my sister like I should have long ago."

"That is Byakuya's job." Naraku replied.

Mōryōmaru chuckled. "Byakuya is dead." The image of Byakuya was visible in his eye as Sesshomaru killed him. "I have Kanna's scrying ability. I can see it clearly. Sesshomaru just ended Byakuya's life. That means that it's up to me." He turned to Naraku. "I would much rather go after Inuyasha, but I know that you want to be the one to kill him. So may I take care of Kagura and her group?"

Naraku considered this for a moment. If Byakuya was dead, then Mōryōmaru was his only remaining servant, except for his Saimyōshō. On top of that, Mōryōmaru now contained his heart. If he was killed, then Naraku would be mortal again.

Then again, hadn't the reason he transferred his heart into this new creature been because Mōryōmaru couldn't die. Try as he might, Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to kill the new carrier of his heart. And if Mōryōmaru couldn't die, then neither could Naraku.

"Very well." He said. "I shall deal with Inuyasha and Kikyou while you take care of Kagura and her little friends. After that, go and take care of the wolf-demon, Kouga, and retrieve his jewel shards."

Mōryōmaru grinned evilly as his wings stretched out. "Looking forward to it." He said, and took off into the night.

**(A/N: Byakuya has finally been defeated, but now there is an evil bigger problem. Naraku has transferred his heart over to M****ō****ry****ō****maru, who is now a whole new demon made up of Kanna and Hakud****ō****shi as well. And is it true that Naraku is now truly invincible? If M****ō****ry****ō****maru can't be killed, then neither can Naraku. If you thought this chapter was action packed, just wait until the next one. See you then.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**:**** The new and improved M**__**ō**__**ry**__**ō**__**maru arrives to do what Byakuya could not. Sesshomaru attempts to kill the new holder of Naraku's heart, but all attempts fail.**_


	19. Chapter 19: The Ultimate Demon

**(A/N: This chapter took awhile to write. It's really long, and full of action. You all must be anxious to see the confrontation between Sesshomaru and ****Mōryōmaru****. Well wait no more, because it has come at last.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter 19: The Ultimate Demon**

Sesshomaru gently ran his fingers over the nearly healed cut going down Kagura's back. Not even two days after being cut by Byakuya, and already the deep gash was nothing more than a mere scratch.

"See, I told you I'm fine." Said Kagura stubbornly, pulling her top back on. "You worry too much, which is surprising, coming from you."

"Is it not natural for a demon to worry about his mate?" asked Sesshomaru.

Kagura smirked. "Worrying doesn't suit you."

"Then I'll stop."

Rin giggled. "Silly, Lord Sesshomaru. You can't stop worrying about someone you love. Right, Kohaku?"

The demon slayer blushed. "Um, yeah, I guess so." He was feeling uncomfortable with this subject and decided to change it. "You know, if Byakuya was around here, then Naraku might be close by. And I doubt he'll be able to make any more incarnations any time soon."

Kagura nodded. "That's true. He'll need to absorb more demons before he can create anymore. Byakuya must have taken a lot out of him."

"He still has Kanna, Hakudōshi, and Mōryōmaru." Kohaku reminded her. "Naraku will protect Hakudōshi at all costs. Kanna will most likely be with him, to warn him of any danger, and though Mōryōmaru is basically a puppet, he is still the strongest of them. Finding them won't necessarily mean finding Naraku. But I guess that's ok since we need to kill Hakudōshi before Naraku can die."

"That Naraku is such a coward." Said Jaken. "Always using others to do his dirty work. What a coward!"

"Not really." Said Kohaku. "Naraku will fight when necessary, but he mostly enjoys using other people."

Kagura nodded. "That is most likely a trait he acquired from Onigumo. But I am curious about what he will do now. Kanna will definitely have informed Naraku of Byakuya's death, which means that he'll have to resort to something else. He always has something up his sleeve."

Sesshomaru didn't reply. He knew that Naraku was up to something. In fact, whatever the half-demon was planning had already taken affect. Not long after he had killed Byakuya, he had sensed an abnormally powerful demonic aura for a brief moment. The amazing power had vanished after a few seconds, but he had still sensed it. But he had been too concerned about Kagura at the time to worry about it.

Now he was worrying about it. And what worried him the most was before the extreme power had suddenly vanished, it had rapidly been close to his own, and he had no idea how strong it got after the aura vanished.

Right now he was seriously considering sending his companions to his castle while he dealt with this new threat, but he knew that Kagura would be too stubborn to wait at the castle while he hunted down her tormentor and whoever or whatever Naraku had spawned. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, he may need… _help_ defeating this new foe.

He glanced at Tenseiga. Should anything happen to his companions, he could always bring them back to life. In fact, if it wasn't for his Healing Sword, he wouldn't allow Kagura, Rin, or Kohaku accompany him any further.

'_It looks like Father knew what he was doing after all.'_ He thought.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Mōryōmaru's wings flapped rapidly as he flew through the air. His victims were close. The part of him that was Hakudōshi, was really looking forward to finally being allowed to able to kill Kagura. And he was curious about how Sesshomaru would fare against him. He wondered which one was superior.

'_It doesn't matter.'_ He thought with an evil sneer. _'I can't die.'_

They were close now. His scrying ability that he inherited from Kanna allowed him to _see_ without using his eyes. They weren't that far off. He saw that Sesshomaru looked deep in thought and seemed unaware of the approaching danger, another technique he received from Kanna.

Mōryōmaru dove, coming in for a sudden aerial attack. His hands changed into scythes as he dropped down from the sky, slicing through the air. Sesshomaru reacted at the last possible moment. In one fluid motion, he unsheathed Toukijin as he spun around to block Mōryōmaru's attack. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he held off Mōryōmaru's massive weight.

"I thought as much." Said Sesshomaru.

Mōryōmaru just smirked and swung with his other scythe. Sesshomaru jumped away, landing out of the mutant demon's reach.

Kagura's eyes widened. "Mōryōmaru." She whispered.

Kohaku looked terrified. "Not him."

"But how?" cried Jaken. "He came right out in the open and didn't even bother to hide his attack. We should have been able to sense him."

Mōryōmaru laughed evilly. "It's a new ability." He said.

Kagura and Kohaku gasped. "He can talk now?" the former cried.

"I thought he was just a puppet." Said Kohaku.

Mōryōmaru sneered at him. "I'm the new and improved Mōryōmaru, and I'm no longer a puppet, but a full-fledged demon."

Sesshomaru's face displayed no emotion. "Interesting. So you were the source of power I sensed."

Mōryōmaru rubbed his scythes together, making a _sching_ noise, and sending off sparks. "Probably. But you can't sense me anymore, can you?"

"No, I cannot. But it matters not. This Sesshomaru will still defeat you."

Mōryōmaru laughed. "Foolish dog, you can't defeat me. I'm invincible, as is Naraku." He turned around, showing them the spider mark on his back. "I am the new holder of Naraku's heart."

Kohaku didn't like the sound of that. "How are you the holder? Hakudōshi holds Naraku's heart. How did you get it?"

"Foolish boy, I _am_ Hakudōshi." He smirked at their stunned expressions. Even Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "I am also Kanna and the original Mōryōmaru. Just like Onigumo and a vast amount of demons fused together to give birth to Naraku, the three of them became one to create me."

Kagura growled. "Well, that explains why we couldn't sense him."

"And why the aura I sensed vanished." Sesshomaru added. "One of Kanna's abilities?"

Kagura nodded. "And I guess we can assume that he inherited Hakudōshi's powers as well."

"And personality." Mōryōmaru replied. "The original Mōryōmaru had no will at all, and Kanna barely thought for herself either."

"Meaning he's mostly Hakudōshi." Said Kohaku. "And we're basically fighting him in Mōryōmaru's body."

"Great, just what we need." Kagura muttered.

Mōryōmaru gave her a curious look, noticing something different about her. "It seems I'm not the only one who has changed. You scent is different, Kagura, as is your aura. If I'm not mistaking, I would say that you've mated with another demon." He reached out with his own demonic aura and sensed Kagura's mating mark. "It appears I'm correct. And who's the lucky demon."

Kagura's eyes unconsciously shifted to Sesshomaru. Mōryōmaru followed her gaze. He also sensed a mating mark on the dog-demon. Looking further into this, he sensed what seemed to be a non-existing thread connecting the two demons.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here." he said in amusement. "The daughter of Naraku and the brother of Inuyasha have become mates. You've been a naughty girl, Kagura. What would you're father say if he found out."

"I don't give a damn about Naraku's opinion!" Kagura snapped. "He hates anything to do with love; hates it so much that he relinquished his own heart."

Ignoring her, Mōryōmaru smirked, looking from Kagura and Sesshomaru, to Kohaku and Rin. "It appears that Byakuya was correct; there has been quite a bit of romance going on with the four of you. It's disgusting, but I do look forward to seeing the looks of horror on your faces when I strike down your loved ones."

Rin clung to Kohaku, terrified of the demon mutant. "Kohaku, I'm scared."

Mōryōmaru chuckled. "As you should be, child." He bent down. "Look into my eyes."

His eyes began glowing with white light. Rin became fixated on his eyes as her own glazed over.

"Ko…ha…ku.." she murmured, as Mōryōmaru attempted to suck out her soul; another technique from Kanna.

"Rin, what's wrong?" the slayer asked worriedly.

Rin struggled to speak. "Something's… pulling at Rin…"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he realized what Mōryōmaru was doing. Kagura had told him of Kanna's ability to suck out people's souls. And if Mōryōmaru was made partially of Kanna, it was safe to assume that he could do the same.

Sesshomaru threw Toukijin, hitting Mōryōmaru square in the face. The mutant demon howled in pain and fell backwards, Toukijin buried to the hilt in his face. Rin blinked and came out of her trace before she buried her face in Kohaku's chest, sobbing.

"Picking on Rin." Jaken muttered. "How low. You got what you deserved, you giant freak!"

"Be silent Jaken." Sesshomaru ordered as he pulled his sword out of Mōryōmaru's face. "It is not over."

The wound in Mōryōmaru's face instantly healed and his eyes snapped open. "You're smarter than you look."

He swung his scythe arm. Sesshomaru jumped over it. As he came down, he swung Toukijin, beheading the mutant. The force of contact sent Mōryōmaru's head flying through the air.

"That won't be enough." Said Kagura, raising her fan. "Dance of Blades!"

Mōryōmaru's head was sliced to pieces. But each piece came back together, reforming his head, which neatly reattached itself to his body.

"That's impossible!" cried Jaken. "No demon can recover from something like that."

An evil chuckle escaped Mōryōmaru's mouth. "I told you," he said, getting to his feet, "I'm invincible."

Sesshomaru didn't appear to be intimidated in the least. "Then this Sesshomaru shall put your claim to the test."

Mōryōmaru smirked. "By all means."

His right arm seemed to liquidate and change into several tentacles, which shot at Sesshomaru, the pointy ends threatening to impale him. Sesshomaru sprinted backwards as each tentacle slammed into the ground where he had been standing just moments ago. Though he easily dodged each tentacle, he did not expect them to continue traveling underground and burst up behind him.

"Got you now." Mōryōmaru declared.

The tentacles shot forward to stab Sesshomaru from behind.

"Dance of Blades!"

Mōryōmaru's tentacles were sliced off. Surprise showed on his face as he was left open for attack. Sesshomaru seized the opportunity and unleashed a blast of demonic energy from Toukijin. The attack hit Mōryōmaru right in the chest increasing his surprise.

"You got him!" cried Rin.

The look of surprise on Mōryōmaru's face became one of amusement. "Wrong." He said. The blast of demonic energy Sesshomaru had unleashed was suddenly absorbed into Mōryōmaru's body, leaving the demon completely unharmed. "Sorry, Sesshomaru, but those kinds of attacks won't work on me. I can absorb them and send them right back at you." The arm that had turned into tentacles came together and reformed itself, becoming an arm again. "Like this!"

His hand burst open, unleashing the blast Sesshomaru had just sent at him. But Sesshomaru fearlessly leapt at Mōryōmaru, using his sword to cut through the blast. He then brought Toukijin down over Mōryōmaru's head, completely slicing the demon in half.

But the two halves immediately came back together as Mōryōmaru regenerated. Sesshomaru didn't wait until his opponent was whole as he unleashed another blast of demonic energy, this time succeeding in hitting his target. Most of Mōryōmaru's upper left side was blown to pieces.

It didn't work. The chunks of flesh molded back together and fused with the rest of Mōryōmaru, leaving him completely intact. But Sesshomaru could have sworn he saw something glowing that was mixed in with the pieces of flesh, though it happened too fast for him to see what it was.

"What are you looking at?" Mōryōmaru demanded.

His fingers stretched forward like spears. Sesshomaru dodged them and stabbed forward. But Mōryōmaru's wings burst from his back and he took to the sky. Sesshomaru summoned forth his dust cloud and went after the mutant. Mōryōmaru just smirked as several tentacles burst out of his stomach. Sesshomaru sliced off the tentacles, and a miasma seeped out.

Sesshomaru jumped off his dust cloud to avoid the miasma. Mōryōmaru swooped down after him, his arms becoming scythes again, making contact with Toukijin. Sesshomaru was faster than his opponent, but Mōryōmaru had two blades. Sesshomaru was quick enough to defend against both of them, but he didn't have time to do anything more than defend.

'_He needs help.'_ Kagura realized, plucking her feather. "You guys stay here."

But Lady Kagura-"

"No buts, Rin!" The wind-demon snapped, taking flight. She flew up over Mōryōmaru's head and waved her fan. "Dance of the Dra-"

The spikes on Mōryōmaru's back shot out, nearly spearing her. Kagura stopped her attack and dodged the spikes, but they immediately turned into tentacles and sped after her.

'_Now is my chance!'_ thought Jaken. _'I can prove my usefulness to Lord Sesshomaru.'_

"Jaken, where are you going?" cried Rin. "Lady Kagura said to stay here!"

The toad-demon ignored her as he went up behind Mōryōmaru. "Feel the power of the Staff of Two Heads!"

Flames shot at Mōryōmaru. The moment they touched his back, his flesh began to shift. The flames were absorbed as a mound of flesh flew at Jaken. The toad-demon cried out and retreated, but was unable to escape. The mound of flesh wrapped around him and pulled him to Mōryōmaru.

"Help me!" Jaken cried, as Mōryōmaru absorbed him. "I don't want to die!"

Kohaku pulled out his sickle. "Rin, stay with Ah-Un."

"But Kohaku-"

There was no time to argue. He ran towards Mōryōmaru, throwing his sickle. He sliced the demon's back open, freeing Jaken enough to allow the toad-demon to escape. But the flesh that Kohaku's blade had cut through flew at the demon slayer, turning into spear shaped tentacles to impale him.

A blast of demonic energy disintegrated the tentacles before they pierced Kohaku. Ah-Un roared loudly as he unleashed another blast of demonic energy at Mōryōmaru. But this time Mōryōmaru was ready. He absorbed the attack and launched it right back at them.

The attack would have killed Rin and Kohaku, perhaps even Jaken, but Sesshomaru suddenly appeared in front of them, slicing through the blast with Toukijin.

"It would be wise for you to stay out of the way." He told them.

Mōryōmaru laughed as he turned to face Sesshomaru again. "You are a fool, Sesshomaru." He said, sounding amused. "You care so much for those two humans, like they were your own children."

Rin was not surprised by this, but Kohaku looked shocked at Mōryōmaru claiming that Sesshomaru actually cared for him. "Sesshomaru?"

The demon lord ignored him. "And why do you say this?"

Mōryōmaru laughed. "Hakudōshi could read minds, as can I. You cannot hide your thoughts from me, no matter how good you are at masking your emotions."

Sesshomaru growled. Great, that was just what he needed, an enemy that could see beyond his emotionless mask.

"Read my mind if you choose." He said. "It will not help you."

He charged at Mōryōmaru. The mutant demon prepared for him to strike with Toukijin, but was surprised when Sesshomaru tossed his sword in the air. While he was caught off guard, Sesshomaru used the opportunity to bury his claws in Mōryōmaru's gut, injecting him with a vast amount of poison.

Mōryōmaru gave no reaction to either his wound or the poison. He smirked and swatted Sesshomaru away, his wound healing immediately.

"Your poisonous claws have no affect on me, Sesshomaru. I simply cannot be destroyed."

"Dance of the Dragon!" Kagura had appeared behind him and trapped him in her mighty tornado of death. "Get out of that if you can, freak."

The tornado became thinner and the unpleasant sound of flesh being torn was heard as Mōryōmaru was sliced to pieces.

"She did it." Jaken murmured.

"You beat him, Lady Kagura!" Rin cried happily.

When the tornado dispersed, it seemed that Kagura had indeed won the battle. Mutilated pieces of flesh and balls of glowing energy were all that remained. But alas, the fight was not over. The pieces of flesh and orbs of light all came back together, reforming into Mōryōmaru again.

"Miss me?" he mocked.

Kagura growled. "Damn you."

Sesshomaru, having retrieved Toukijin, came up beside his mate. "Kagura, what were those glowing spheres within his body?"

"Haku." She replied.

Rin looked confused. "What's haku?"

Jaken gave her a look that clearly stated that he couldn't believe she had asked such a ridiculous question. "Honestly, Rin. Haku is a person's life force. Without haku, your soul can't remain earthbound and you'll die."

"That's how Mōryōmaru was created." Said Kohaku. "Hakudōshi used the haku of others to animate the flesh of demons and create him."

"Correct." Mōryōmaru growled in amusement. "My body is nothing more than animated flesh."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "So, you were originally a golem, a puppet, a creature without a soul or will of his own."

Mōryōmaru smirked, revealing his sharp teeth. "Not anymore, but I'm still just as indestructible as I was before."

Sesshomaru nodded. "You have indeed done a good job in proving this, but this Sesshomaru will still destroy you."

Mōryōmaru got into a fighting stance. "I _can't_ be destroyed. That's what you don't seem to understand. I can not die!"

He charged at Sesshomaru. The demon lord easily jumped over Mōryōmaru's head, but the mutant demon just kept going, heading right for Kagura.

"Dance of Blades!"

Mōryōmaru smirked as he absorbed the blades of wind and blasted them right back at Kagura. The wind-demon waved her fan, dispersing her reversed attack. She then created a powerful gust of wind, one strong enough to knock Mōryōmaru off his feet. His wings burst from his back, stopping his fall, but Sesshomaru was suddenly right over him. His foot collided with Mōryōmaru's giant head, sending the demon crashing to the ground.

"This time, I'll pierce your heart." He declared.

Dropping from the sky, Sesshomaru buried Toukijin to the hilt in Mōryōmaru's chest, right where his heart should be. The ground beneath the giant demon gave in from the force of the attack, leaving Mōryōmaru lying in a large crater.

"And just for good measure…" Said Sesshomaru.

With Toukijin still buried in Mōryōmaru's chest, he unleashed his demonic energy. Mōryōmaru's torso burst open, leaving a large gaping hole where his chest once was.

Sesshomaru jumped out of the crater, landing over by Kagura as he looked down at Mōryōmaru. Being unable to sense Mōryōmaru's aura, he couldn't tell if the mutant demon was dead or not, and he couldn't rely on his nose either since Mōryōmaru already smelled like dead flesh.

"Splendid work, milord!" Jaken cried, running over to his master, the others close behind. "You put that miserable creature in his place!" He looked down at Mōryōmaru, kicking some dirt on him. "That will teach you to mess with Lord Sesshomaru!"

Mōryōmaru's eyes snapped open. "Fool." He growled, that sadistic smile still on his face. "Did you think that I could be defeated by something like that?"

The hole in his chest closed. He was on his feet a minute later, climbing out of the crater. Jaken quickly hid behind Sesshomaru, who remained where he was, as Kagura and Kohaku took on fighting stances, the latter standing in front of Rin protectively.

Mōryōmaru shook his head. "Go ahead, keep coming. You'll eventually wear yourselves out, and that's when I'll kill you. It doesn't matter what you do, I'll just keep coming. You can't kill me. Not now, not ever."

Jaken poked his head out from behind his master. "L-Lord Sesshomaru, how does he keep reviving? No demon should be able to survive the onslaught you've given him, no one. How is it he's still alive?"

Kohaku's eyes widened with realization. "He's not." He whispered.

Jaken gave Kohaku a confused look. "What do you mean, he's not? Of course he is! Just look at him! He seems pretty alive to me!"

Kohaku shook his head. "No, he's not. He's dead. He's the soul of Mōryōmaru inhabiting animated dead flesh. That's he won't die, because you can't kill what's already dead."

Mōryōmaru chuckled. "So, you've finally realized it."

Jaken was shaking his head. "It still doesn't make sense. Even if his body is dead and his soul is still earthbound, he should pass on to the other world once his body is destroyed, and Lord Sesshomaru just destroyed it several times."

"That's what the haku is for." Said Kagura. "No matter how much we damage his body, it will keep moving."

"At last you get it." Mōryōmaru sneered. "I was getting rather tired of waiting for you to figure it out. Now that you know the truth, you must realize that you can't possibly win against me."

Sesshomaru was silent. He showed no emotion, but the wheels in his head were turning rapidly. He stepped forward and sheathed Toukijin. "I shall defeat you." He looked over his shoulder at the others. "Remain here while I deal with them."

"But milord!"

"Idiot." Mōryōmaru growled. "You just found out that you can't kill me, and yet you still think you can win."

Sesshomaru clenched and unclenched his hand, as if he were getting ready to strike. "I do."

He charged at Mōryōmaru, who looked very amused at the demon lord's oncoming attack. "So, you want to go to hand-to-hand combat?" He charged as well. "Well that's fine with me! I'll break you in half!"

The two mighty demons came at each other. Mōryōmaru's arm stretched forward, reaching for the demon lord. Sesshomaru jumped over it, unsheathing his sword. He slashed Mōryōmaru across the chest, landing a short distance away.

Mōryōmaru skidded to a halt. "What was that? Was that really your attack? That was pathe-"

He stopped talking as terrible pain filled him. Before, whenever he had been damaged, he felt nothing, but now, all the pain that he would have felt from those attacks, was hitting him all at once.

"W-What?" He turned to Sesshomaru. "What did… you do?"

Sesshomaru turned to him. He held up the sword he was wielding, revealing that it was not Toukijin, but Tenseiga. "Tell me, how does it feel to be among the living?"

Mōryōmaru's eyes widened. "What?"

"It was simple enough to figure out. This Sesshomaru was unable to kill you because you were not alive. Well, you are now. Your body is now made of living flesh, the haku you used to animate your body is now your own life force, you are no different than me or any other demon now."

"Milord, that was brilliant!" Jaken cried.

"So simple, yet so amazing." Whispered Kohaku.

Kagura nodded. "As expected of you."

Sesshomaru sheathed Tenseiga and unsheathed Toukijin. "Now then, Mōryōmaru, I believe we have a battle to complete."

Mōryōmaru's eyes were filled with cold fury. "Y-You… you bastard!"

"I wonder how Naraku will take this." said Kagura. "He put his heart in you because he thought you couldn't be killed. What's he going to say when he finds out that you're as mortal as any other demon?"

Mōryōmaru turned to her, his eyes flashing. "Shut up, bitch!"

His arm turned into a spiky tentacle, which he swung at Kagura, but Sesshomaru moved quickly. He swung Toukijin, slicing Mōryōmaru's shoulder, causing the mutant demon to bleed for the first time. He hissed in pain, stumbling away from his target.

"Your blood flows, Mōryōmaru." Sesshomaru stated. "Just like that of any other mortal."

Mōryōmaru growled, rubbing the cut on his shoulder. He had never felt pain before. His flesh had been dead before, therefore he felt nothing. But he felt it now, and on top of pain, he was now feeling the other affects of being alive brought, such as exhaustion, hunger, thirst, and everything else that came with it. He had never slept, ate, or drank before, and was now in a very weakened state due to the lack of these things.

Kagura smirked. "What, nothing to say?" she mocked. "I know for a fact that the part of you that is Hakudōshi would normally have some smart ass remark to say."

"Bitch!" Mōryōmaru snarled.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in anger. "You shall not speak to my mate like that!" he seethed, swinging Toukijin and unleashing his power.

Mōryōmaru managed to smirk as he absorbed the attack. "Fool, now I'll destroy you all!"

He prepared to launch the attack back at them. But Sesshomaru had prepared for this. His eyes turned red as he tapped into the deepest reaches of his strength. He unleashed all his power at once in one mighty blast of demonic energy, just as Mōryōmaru was unleashing the attack he absorbed.

Sesshomaru's attack easily overpowered Mōryōmaru's, creating an attack similar to the Tetsusaiga's Backlash Wave. Mōryōmaru's eyes widened as a cry of rage erupted from his mouth as the attack consumed him. Slowly his body broke down until there was nothing left.

Mōryōmaru was dead.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Elsewhere in Feudal Japan, Naraku gasped in pain, clutching at his chest, as he felt the remainder of his heart die. He realized at that moment that the impossible had happened. Mōryōmaru had been destroyed. He had died, taking Naraku's heart with him. Naraku was now no different than any other demon, or half-demon.

It was in that moment that Inuyasha's Adamant Barrage, combined with Kagome's sacred arrow, shattered his barrier and blasted him. The Shikon Jewel fell from the sky, where Naraku once had been, as the half-demon joined Mōryōmaru and Byakuya in the deepest depths of Hell.

Kagome slowly walked out onto the battlefield and picked up the tainted Shikon Jewel, purifying it with just one touch. She turned to her friends, looking at Miroku hopefully.

"Is it over?" she asked.

The monk pulled the covering off his cursed hand and held it up to reveal that the Wind Tunnel was gone.

"It's over."

**(A/N: Was that action packed, or what? Sorry for those of you that thought that there would be a confrontation between Sesshomaru and Naraku, but I had planned out for things to end this way from the beginning. In a way, Sesshomaru did destroy Naraku since him killing ****Mōryōmaru**** was what gave Inuyasha and Kagome the opportunity to defeat Naraku. By the way, how did you like the way Sesshomaru beat ****Mōryōmaru**** with Tenseiga? It seemed so perfect, almost as if Sesshomaru was meant to destroy him by giving him life with Tenseiga, then destroying him. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. The next one is the last, and it has a real twist at the end. Since it's only going to be an epilogue, it will be short, so I should have it up tomorrow.)**

_**Preview for next chapter**__**:**** The epilogue.**_


	20. Epilogue

**(A/N: The end is here. I'm sorry, but all things must end. Sorry this is short, but it's only an epilogue. But I do have a nice surprise for you at the end, so enjoy the last of my story.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Epilogue**

Kagome walked down the busy streets in modern time as she thought over what she had just found out. She was certainly happy about it, and she knew that her mother was too, but she wondered how Inuyasha would react. He had agreed about wanting to have children, but they had decided to wait a little while. Apparently, Fate had decided to bless them with a child sooner rather than later.

Yes, Kagome was pregnant. It had been a few months after Naraku's death and things were peaceful in the Feudal Era. Thanks to a wish on the Shikon Jewel, the well was now open to Kagome 24/7, so she was able to come and go as she pleased without needing the jewel. This had been the best decision, for now she didn't have to choose between her future family and her past family.

'_And now I'm starting another family.'_ She thought happily.

As she was walking, she noticed on the other side of the street what appeared to be a rich couple. The woman had her black hair tied back in the same fashion that Kagura did with a feather in it, and was wearing a fancy dress. The man walking beside her was in a very expensive suit, and had long white hair that reminded her of Sesshomaru. In fact, she could have sworn that it was them, only that they were human.

'_They're like human versions of them.'_ She thought.

Her eyes widened as for a split second she saw the actually Sesshomaru and Kagura in the place of the couple. She blinked and shook her head, taking a second look. Unfortunately, a bus drove past her, blocking her vision of them, and she lost them in the crowd of people.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"She noticed us." Kagura muttered with a smirk. "She saw through our disguises."

"Only due to her priestess powers." Sesshomaru replied. "We need not worry about any other humans seeing what we really are." He paused for a moment. "Did you know she lived in the same town as our granddaughter?"

Kagura tapped her chin. "I don't recall. We haven't been here in 23 years. She wasn't even born back then."

"True."

Kagura turned back to where they saw Kagome. "Do you think they've beaten Naraku yet?"

"They have."

Kagura gave him a curious look. "How do you know?"

"She is with child." He replied, a small smirk on his face. "That did not happen until a few months after Naraku's death."

Kagura nodded. "Ah, I see. Well, your nose is better than mine, so I'll take your word for it. Can we tell her that she's having both a boy _and_ a girl?"

They came to a stoplight, and Sesshomaru pressed the button to change the light with his _left_ hand. "No, we should not interfere with the past."

"Then can we at least tell Kagome that she's Rin and Kohaku's descendant? I bet she'll be surprised."

"I just said we should not interfere with the past."

Kagura put on a fake sad face. "You're no fun."

**THE END**

**(A/N: Surprised? I hope so, I was going for that. That's right, Kagome is Rin and Kohaku's descendant. This theory first came to me when Jinenji stated that Rin resembled Kagome. I thought it would be a rather interesting twist. It would also explain why Kagome's family has knowledge on demons, it's because since Rin is so close to Sesshomaru that she would most likely keep the knowledge of demon existence known in her family while the rest of the world forgot they existed. Anyway, this brings my story to an end. I hope you all enjoyed it, and thank you everyone who read and reviewed. I'm glad you all enjoyed it and I hope you'll look into my other stories. I might do another Inuyasha story, but I'm not sure; I'm still brainstorming ideas. Hope to see you all again. This is your last chance to review, so tell me what you think of my story and I'll be eternally grateful. Bye everybody.)**


End file.
